Nobody Dies: The Story of NERV Alaska
by AmIADream
Summary: What starts as a regular day in NERV Weapons Development ends up putting the entire world in danger. NOTE: Contains music. Every time you see .com/something, it's the end of a You Tube adress.
1. Project MSBU Drill Break

How did he get here? Oh right. He signed up for it. A friend who worked over in NERV-1 referred him. "You're into all that sci-fi crap, right? Dude, NERV is perfect for that."

He doesn't know whether to kick his friend in the jewels, or kiss him.

He signed up to work at the nearest NERV HQ he could get to, NERV-Alaska, expecting fantasy and wonderment. He got that alright. He got Fantasy and Wonderment. Until he eventually became the Head of Science. Then he realized that everyone around him is crazy. Some crazier then others, some still more Crazy Awesome then anything. But everyone here is not mentally balanced. And when you're dealing with arms development, only Crazy Awesome can cut it. Not just Crazy. He has too many Just Crazy people. Not enough Crazy Awesome.

Mind you, the people at NERV-Alaska are the first people he's met that didn't think "Dream" was a silly name. That's a bonus. He still prefers to be called "Dr. Mondschein," though.

He was going over the test results for some type of weapon. Some bomb hypothesized to take out only inorganic material. He didn't come up with it, that's for damn sure. Why the hell was this project allowed to even see the light of day? They were fighting Angels, otherwise known as gigantic, ORGANIC, alien… things. Who submitted this? He'll have them fired, one way or another. Let's see here…

PROJECT SUBMITTED BY:

Ayanami, Kiko

Ayanami, Zyuu

"… God damnit," He mutters, as he slaps his palm to his forhead, "So I don't get to fire anyone. Between the Ayanami Sisters and the Ikaris, NERV-1 is going to be the death of me."

"Dr. Mondschein?"

He looks up from the test results and sees a man at his office door. A young man, obviously new. He still has some sanity left in him.

"Yes, what is it?"

"We have a new project submission."

"Let me see the folder."

The young man hands him the folder labelled "Project: Make stuff blow up." He can get behind that idea. He can get behind that idea very much. He opened the folder, and was greeted by a very nice schematic of what appeared to be an exploding drill, of all things. Okay, okay. This could work. Who designed this thing? Two names, written at the bottom of the page: Ayanami, Rei and Ayanami, Nana. A smile spreads across Dr. Mondschein's face.

"Always did like those two. Do whatever you can to make this work."

"Yes, sir, and we also have another project submission."

"Oh? Let me see."

No project name. Just a message. "Give it a chance." He opened up the folder. At the very top of the proposal, read "Okay, you're going to think this is a crazy idea, but here me out. In order to supe up the Eva units, we're going to use, get this, MAGIC."

Dr. Mondschein looks at who submitted it. One of the people here on the base. He closes the folder and chuckles to himself.

"Crazy… Crazy Awesome. Just what we need. These two projects, approved. And the guy who submitted this Magic one? I like him. Next time you see him, tell him that he's promoted."

PROJECT: MAKE STUFF BLOW UP

NERV-Alaska Weapons development lab. Here's where the magic happens. While he's more or less in charge of everything at NERV-Alaska, and can get other people to do things for him, Dr. Dream Mondschein still liked involving himself in weapons-developement.

He also liked to see shit explode.

So, when something like "Project: Make Stuff Blow Up" is dropped on his desk, he's interested. He took the schematics for the MSBU to the good ol' folks down at Wep-dev. The head of Weapons, Allan Fisher, was there to greet him.

"Dr. Mondschein, what can I do for you?"

"This."

He laid out the schematics on a nearby table. Fisher looked over it, slightly interested. But when you're the head of weapons development, something like an exploding drill isn't all that exciting.

"This shouldn't take too long. I can probably have it in a Test-Type Eva by the end of the week."

"Excellent. I'll see you in a week then."

* * *

1 Week later, at Test Location 05...

Dr. Mondschein and the other members of the Science team watched the view screen in the Command Center of NERV-Alaska. On the view screen was the Test-Type Eva unit, with the MSBU Drill attached to its arm. The Test-Type Eva… To call it an Evangelion was an insult. It lacked everything that made an Evangelion unit… An Evangelion unit. It didn't have a core, it had a barely sufficient AI, no organic parts, nothing. It was merely a placeholder, to see how a weapon would balance on an actual Eva unit. The AI was there to test how the weapon could be treated in combat. The AI would make the Test-Type move in various complicated manoeuvres, to test whatever weapon it was wielding to the extreme.

Dr. Mondschein liked Extreme.

"Okay, Mr. Fisher. You may begin testing."

"Roger that. Activating Test-Type. Subroutine MSBU uploaded. Test number One: Straight firing. Ready in 3… 2… 1… Fire."

The Test-Type braced itself and fired the drill. It fired a good distance, nearly 2 kilometres. The fun part was the explosion. The explosion nearly covered the distance between the impact point. A small smile spread on Dr. Mondschein's face.

"Oh yes," He said, writing down a couple of notes on a clipboard, "This is going to be good."

* * *

After the tests were over, all that was left was for Dr. Mondschein to give the green light and send the MSBU over to NERV-1.

That wasn't going to happen. He had better things in mind for this piece of work.

He found himself talking to Fisher again. Fisher couldn't understand why Dr. Mondschein wouldn't give the green light. Again, a sly smile appeared on the good doctor's face.

"I want to make it… bigger."

"Bigger?"

"Yes. Bigger. And better."

"But it passed all the tests. It wouldn't put the pilot in too much harm, and it launches a decent amount of distance away from the Eva unit! How could we make it bigger while making it better at the same time?"

"Throw some Technobabble at it!"

Fisher stopped, and started thinking. Then a smile appeared on his face.

"How about this: We could have the drill interface directly with the core."

A smile appeared on Dr. Mondschein's face.

"Why, Mr. Fisher! That would make the Eva's AT Field extend to the Drill, would it not?"

"Yes, yes it would, good doctor! However, the drill itself would have to be connected by cable to the Evangelion, thus turning it into more of a… Grapple Drill, instead of a Make Stuff Blow Up Drill."

Dr. Mondschein wanted an explosion, damnit, and he was going to get one! He pondered for a moment, when it hit him like… an explosion.

"I know! We fit the tip of the drill with explosives! Not as much as the old prototype, thus creating a much smaller explosion…"

"But it would still create an explosion." The head of Weapons-Development stated.

Dr. Mondschein sighed. He knows Hatchi likes big explosions. And Rei is just crazy. They wouldn't settle for a smaller explosion. But…

"If the payload is smaller…" Dr. Mondschein started, "What if we used something more explosive?"

A sly smile appeared on Fisher's face.

"Like what?"

"Oh, I don't know. Anti-Matter?"

"… With that, we could use the Drill's AT Field to minimize the damage."

"What kind of damage are we talkin' here?"

Fisher ran some numbers in his head.

"If we don't use the AT Field? We'd be lucky if Tokyo-3 is still intact."

"And if we do use the AT Field?"

"It would be restricted to a certain area. Probably just within either the drill's or the Angel's AT field."

"So in other words, a Localized Supernova."

"You got it, Doc."

Perfect.

"The only downside," Fisher said, "is it would require heavy modification to the Eva in order for the weapon to work properly."

"I don't think that the Pilot will mind too much. Mind you, I heard that the Eva units are more or less sentient, so we'd need the Eva's consent, or something."

"Have you heard some of the stories involving Unit 05?"

"… Yeah, that probably won't be a problem, either."

"Now the real problem: How are we going to test it?"

"Is Unit 04 still intact?"

"More or less. It's not complete, and the project was scrapped when they used the S2 organ on ADAM."

"Does it still have Eva parts?"

"I don't see why it wouldn't."

"Good. Get it shipped up here and we'll test the weapon with that."

"I'll get right on that."

"Oh, and Fisher?"

Fisher turned at the office door.

"Yeah?"

"You have approval to use the Test-Type Angel, as well."

"Are you sure?"

"Well, we need to see if it'll affect an AT Field, won't we?"

"… I guess. Alright, we'll begin working on it."

And with that, Fisher left the office. With as much modifications as the weapon went through, he couldn't keep the original name. So, Dr. Mondschein took black pen out of his pocket, and wrote on the folder for Project MSBU. The new weapon name?

MSBU-Grapple Drill Break.

Oh yes. The Ayanami girls will _love _this.

**

* * *

Project MSBU Grapple Drill Break**

Unit 04 stood in the middle of an empty field. From a safe distance away, Dr. Mondschein and the other members of the Science team watched on the monitors in the NERV-Alaska Command Center. Unit 04 was hastily assembled. It lacked organic leggings and its left arm was incomplete, but the right arm and the torso were intact. They outfitted it with the legs of a Test-Type Eva unit, and left the arm as it was. It had an AT Field, and that's all that mattered.

"Sir, are you sure to use the Test-Type Angel?"

From his spot at the top of the Command Center, Dr. Mondschein looked down at one of the operators.

"I've already told you, we need to test the Drill's AT Field against an actual AT field. This is the only feasible way of testing. Are we clear?"

"Yes, sir. Preparing Test-Type Angel."

A hatch opened up in the ground, roughly 5 kilometres away from Unit 04, producing a floating red sphere. The hatch closed as soon as the Test-Type left.

"Detecting an AT Field. It's working so far."

"Alright, activate Unit 04's test AI."

"Affirmative. Activating Test AI."

The Silver AI suddenly gained life.

"Any sign of it going crazy?"

"None yet, sir."

"Alright. Proceed with the test."

The Test-Type Angel and Unit 04 moved closer together. Unit 04 raised its Drill arm and pointed it towards the Angel.

"Fire."

The Drill launched towards the Angel, and impacted with the AT Field.

"Activate the Drill's AT Field."

The Drill began glowing orange, and slowly started to penetrate the Angel's AT Field.

"The Angel's AT Field is weakening."

It bore through the AT Field, but stopped before it could do any damage. They needed the Test-Type Angel intact for future tests.

"Test 1 successful. The Drill can effectively go through an AT Field."

"Excellent," Dr. Mondchein remarked, "Now, prepare the second test."

"Affirmative. Initiate Test 2, Urban Combat."

Hatches all around the Angel and Unit 04 open up, revealing structures simulating an urban environment. The Angel and Unit 04 backed away from each other, to opposite ends of the "City."

"Alright, go ahead."

That's when things went to shit.

**I AM.**

"The Test-Type Angel has gained sentience!" One of the operators called out.

"I should have seen this coming," Dr. Mondschein muttered, "I really should have seen this coming."

**THROUGH LICENSE OF THOSE WHO CALL THEMSELVES 'HUMANITY,' I HAVE COME.**

**I KNOW NOT THE ONE WHO SHOULD BE MY MOTHER, NOR THE ONE WHO SHOULD BE MY FATHER.**

**INSTEAD, I WILL CARVE MY OWN PATH.**

**I WILL CARVE IT TOWARDS MY OWN FUTURE.**

**I WILL CARVE HUMANITY AND ANGEL KIND ALIKE UNTIL THEIR CANVAS PORTRAYS MY EXCELLENCE.**

**I AM ANGELUS.**

**I HAVE COME.**

The red sphere turned Silver, and the metal from surrounding buildings merged with the core.

"The Test AI for Unit 04 can't handle actual combat! We need a pilot!"

The Head of Science laughed to himself.

"Well, I always wanted to pilot a Giant Robot."

"Sir, you can't pilot Unit 04, only children can!"

"We're all children at heart, aren't we?"

And before anyone could voice how _wrong_ Dr. Mondschein was, he was already gone.

"… That man is crazy."

* * *

Before he knew it, he was in the Parking Garage. In order for something like this to work, he needed two things: His computer, Unit 04's on board speaker system, and a nice set of wheels to make a dynamic entry. He had his computer, all he needed was wheels. Then he spotted it.

"This will do."

* * *

The Command Center was in an uproar. They lost control of an Angel, the only Evangelion unit they have can't effectively engage it, and they lost the man in charge. That's when the security cameras picked up something. Dr. Mondschein bursting out of the parking garage on a motorcycle, with a wrist computer and a devilish smile on his face, and heading towards the test location. The operators all looked at each other.

"That man will either deliver us to glory, or he'll kill us all."

* * *

He climbed one of the buildings nearest Unit 04. The Angel was looming in the distance, bits of metal forming building sized buzz saws. At this point, he's thinking this is either the best or worst idea he's ever had. He clipped the A10 connectors to his hair, and leaped towards Unit 04. He landed on the shoulder, and activated his wrist communicator.

"Patch me through to NERV-Alaska HQ."

* * *

"We're getting a communication from Dr. Mondschein!"

"Patch him through." One of the scientists ordered.

"_Okay,_" Came Dr. Mondschein's voice over the loudspeakers, "_I know how you all think this is crazy. But that's why it's going to_ work."

"And how, pray tell, is it going to work?"

"_Easy. Substitute the on board AI with Me._"

"What? That's Crazy!"

"_Crazy enough to work! I won't be interfacing with the Eva unit itself, I'll be influencing the AI, which will in turn influence the Eva Unit._"

"Again, that's Crazy. It can't work."

"_COME ON! I've always wanted to pilot a giant robot! Give it a chance_!"

"Even if it did work, you would need to achieve 400% synchronization to become the AI."

The command center grew silent.

"_That… could be a problem, then._"

"Yes. Yes it would."

"_Alright. I'll upgrade the AI in Unit 04 then._"

"You'll what? You can't do something like that on such short notice!"

"_You don't become the Head of Science for NERV-Alaska for nothing. Dr. Mondschein, out._"

* * *

Back at test location…

"Well, there goes my dreams of piloting a giant robot. Oh well."

He activates his wrist computer and accesses the on board AI for Unit 04. He starts typing furiously, well as furious as you can with only one hand. He looks up, and sees the Angel slowly advancing towards him, cutting up everything in it's path.

"Okay… Time to work faster."

This AI needs to be completely self sufficient. Heighten its reaction times. Allow it to think. Give it a brain. Give it a [i]soul[/i]. Make it an actual living being. Give it a personality. Give it a sense of humour, give it like, give it dislikes.

Make it Crazy Awesome.

This will work perfectly.

He finishes typing and uploads the new AI into Unit 04. The Angel forms a particularly large and rather intimidating blade, and raises it into the sky.

"Come on, faster."

The blade comes down.

"Come on, you stupid AI! Come on!"

And right before the blade comes down, the tip of the MSBU Drill splits open, and Unit 04 grabs the blade with its drill arm.

"**I'll forgive that "Stupid" remark if you give me some tunes to kick ass to.**"

"Done deal."

The Enrty Plug ejects from the back of Unit 04's neck.

"**Hop in.**"

Dr. Mondschein scrambles for the Entry plug, and hops in.

"**Now, about those tunes…**"

"Here you go."(.com/watch?v=bby132VFgVY)

The song starts blaring out the Eva's speakers. The Unit 04's head starts bobbing.

"**Sufficient. Let's kick ass.**"

The Drill Arm releases and Unit 04 delivers a kick to the center of the angel. The shiny metal coating cracks, but instantly fixes itself. So Unit 04 continues to kick it, producing cracks that are instantly fixed.

"That isn't working!"

"**I know! I'm just wearing it down first!**"

"You don't have to wear it down, just kill it!"

"**But in order to kill it, I need to wear it down!**"

"You have the ability to penetrate it's AT field and create a localized Supernova. That'll wear it down and kill it at the same time!"

"**… That could work.**"

Unit 04 jumped away from the Angel. As soon as it lands, tiny droplets of metal start forming on the surface of the Angel. The droplets break off and start firing at Unit 04.

"It's making bullets. Clever."

Unit 04 raises it's own AT Field, and the bullets bounce off harmlessly. Then the bullets get bigger. As in, the Angel has resorted to using Buzz Saws again. It zooms towards Unit 04 and starts pounding on the AT Field.

"**That's it! Taste Supernova, bitch!**"

Unit 04 aims it's Drill, and fires. The drill starts tearing through the AT field of the angel. The tip opens up and grabs the Angel's core. Unit 04 picks up the angel and starts swinging it around, shattering its metal coating completely, before sending it into the sky and activating the Antimatter explosives in the tip. The Angel barely has time to scream as the AT Field of the Drill envelopes the Angel and creates a second sun in the sky. The explosion is relatively small, but everything within a couple miles gets a lot brighter. When the light fades, there's nothing left of the Angel or the Drill tip.

"**That was exciting.**"

"Indeed it was."

Oh yeah.

The Ayanami girls are going to _LOVE_ this.

**PROJECT MSBU GRAPPLE DRILL BREAK: Approved, sent to NERV-1.**


	2. Project Telefrag

"I thought the next project was that Magic deal."

Weapons-development, NERV-Alaska. Dr. Mondschein was introducing the plans for the next project with Allan Fisher.

"We can't do that," Dr. Mondschein stated, "How the hell are we going to gain access to Magic?"

"You promoted the guy who proposed it!"

"Well, yeah. Doesn't mean I have to follow through with it."

Fisher let out a disappointed sigh.

"Alright. What's the next project?"

"Well, I've only seen it done once, but I think we can replicate it. Are you a fan of First Person Shooters, per chance?"

"Get to the point, Doc."

"Getting to it. Answer the question."

"In my spare time, yes."

"In some first person shooters, namely the Unreal Tournament games, there are teleporters, right?"

"Right."

"What happens when one person is standing in the out-end of a one way teleporter?"

"They get killed."

"Telefragged, exactly! Two bodies can't occupy the same space, so the incoming body effectively rips through the body occupying the Out-end of the portal!"

"And the point of this is…?"

Dr. Mondschein sprouts a devilish grin on his face. He produces a blueprint from seemingly nowhere and lays it on the table in front of the head of Weapons Development.

"Mr. Fisher, I present to you…"

**PROJECT: TELEFRAG**

"What do you have in mind for the project?"

"Well, it would be a weapon for Unit 01."

"The one with access to the Dirac Armory?"

"Yes."

"Alright. I'll see what I can do," He looked over the blueprints, "Something like this, though… It's going to take time."

"Take as much time as you need."

Dr. Mondschein started to walk away, but Fisher had one last thing on his mind.

"Oh, and Doc?"

Dr. Mondschein turned on his heels.

"Yeah?"

"What are we gonna do with our second EVA?"

"Keep it. You never know when a second one could come in handy."

"Alright."

* * *

He's on the train back home. Not as the head of NERV-Alaska, but as Dream Mondschein. He sees NERV-HQ get smaller and smaller, until it's finally out of view. It's done. The day is done. He doesn't have to worry about insanity, or awesomeness. He's allowed to be human. He's allowed to be a father. He opens the door to his apartment, and finds his son working on something.

"What're you working on, kiddo?"

"Oh, hey dad," The teenager says, without looking up from his paper, "Just some homework. Have to write a short story."

"What are you writing about?"

"No clue. It's writing itself."

"Yeah, I know how that feels," He smiles, "You remind me of myself at your age, Adam."

"So you keep telling me."

"I know, I know," He sits down at the table, across from Adam, "So. What do you want to do for supper?"

"Pizza."

"Pizza it is."

He gets up from the table, and walks over to the phone.

"Hey, dad?"

"Yeah?"

"What do you do?"

"What do you mean?"

"Where do you work? What do you do there? How come, sometimes, you come home with a crazy smile on your face?"

"If I told you, I'd have to kill you. And I don't want to kill you."

"Then give me a hint."

"Well, I'm a scientist."

"I know that. What do you _do?_"

"I research… ways to make this planet safer."

"Really?"

"Without going into details that would require murder? Yes."

"Do you have anything to do with that bright light last week?"

"… You saw that?"

"Dad, I think all Alaska saw it."

"Either way, I can't tell you for sure. On a completely separate subject, Anti-matter is an amazing explosive."

"I thought you made the planet safer."

"Who said that Anti-matter had anything to do with my job? I was just saying it's an amazing explosive."

A smile appeared on both of their faces.

"You're right," Adam said, "How silly of me."

* * *

One week later…

Dr. Mondschein was in his office, looking over some schematics that were given to him from various sources.

"Ayanami, Kiko. Trash. Ayanami, Kiko. Trash. Ayanami, Nana… Pending. SEELE-06. Approved. NERV-1 Weapon Development…"

This went on all day. Looking over schematics. By this point, he could look at who submitted the schematic and almost immediately determine whether or not the project would be approved. Then his door opened.

"Hey, Doc?"

"Yes, Mr. Fisher?"

"There's something… off about this project. And Quatre agrees with me."

"How so?"

"**Well,**" A hologram of Unit-04 appeared, standing next to Fisher, "**an experiment quite similar to Project Telefrag was already done on this base. I couldn't gain access to much more then it's name.**"

Ah, yes. The AI for Unit-04 became an AI consultant for weapons development. The staff had given him the nickname 'Quatre,' four in Latin.

The staff at NERV-Alaska was smart. But they weren't original.

"How did you learn this?" Dr. Mondschein asked.

"On a whim," Fisher answered, "I had Quatre look through previous experiments to find out how to improve the teleportation systems."

"What did you learn?"

"**Project ALTER. For one, the experiment took place shortly after you joined NERV. You probably didn't have access to it, as you weren't as high in the ladder as you are now. Secondly, we know it involved alternative realities.**"

"And you couldn't learn more then that?"

"No." Fisher interjected.

Dr. Mondschein scratched the back of his head.

"Do you know if you can gain access to some of the equipment from Project ALTER?"

"**Nothing significant.**"

"Nothing significant is better then nothing. I'll look into it. Maybe with my higher clearance, I can gain access to some project notes or something. Until then, resume work on Project Telefrag."

"Alright."

"**You're the boss, Boss.**"

The hologram disappeared, and Fisher left the office. He leaned on the desk, and tented his hands in front of his face.

"This is not good."

* * *

Weeks passed. Projects were looked over, approved, denied, and put on hold. But the crew working on Project Telefrag worked on. Small scale experiments proved successful, aside from one incident involving an unlucky cat. Generally, the project was running smoothly. Then came the moment of truth. Again, Dr. Mondschein was in his office, looking over schematics. The hologram of Quatre appeared in front of his desk.

"**Boss.**"

"Yes, Quatre?"

"**Project Telefrag is completed.**"

"Excellent!"

"**What should we use for testing?**"

Dr. Mondschein paused, and thought for a second.

"Well… We could outfit a Test-Type Eva with the weapon, but…"

"**But…?**"

"You haven't gotten to stretch out your legs in a while."

If he could, Quatre would probably be smiling.

"**Does that mean…?**"

Dr. Mondschein smiled for him.

"Tell Mr. Fisher to outfit Unit-04 with Project Telefrag."

"**I'm gonna need some tunes, Boss.**"

"Already taken care of. Have fun."

"**I'm sure I will, Boss!**"

The hologram disappeared.

* * *

The staff of NERV-Alaska was standing in the command center. Dr. Mondschein was at the top, and everyone was looking at the view screen. Unit-04 was standing in a field that was mostly empty, save for a mock-building in front of it.

"Unit-04 is in position." One of the bridge bunnies, Lieutenant Barret reported.

Dr. Mondschein smiled.

"Hit it." (.com/watch?v=UDuBBcIaLjQ)

Unit-04 raised a crude looking rifle and took aim at the building.

"Okay," Fisher said, "We decided to alter Project Telefrag slightly. Doc, your first plan was to have the Eva itself teleport. That was going to be a problem. We couldn't manage to teleport anything much larger then a human being. So what we have now is this rifle. The rifle contains a teleportation device, and upon firing, teleports the rounds into the target."

"How does it manage to differentiate targets?" Dr. Mondschein asked, "And you can't calculate such small scale teleportations in the middle of battle."

"No, the rifle does that for us. The rifle is outfitted with a scanner that links up with the AI in the Eva. All the pilot needs to do is target something and fire. From there, a simple AI in the rifle calculates the trajectory, and fires."

"Excellent. You may proceed, Quatre."

"**On it, Boss.**"

"Oh, and there's one more thing." Fisher interjected.

"What is it now?"

"We outfitted these rounds with a mini-teleport device. Upon entering the target, the round proceeds to make 3-5 short range transports. After the device burns out, it detonates and explodes within the target."

"Mr. Fisher, I like the way you think."

"Thanks, Doc."

"Alright, can we proceed _now?_"

"I'm done."

"Alright. Go ahead, Quatre."

* * *

Out in the field, Unit-04 levelled his rifle with the building. He took a second to listen to the music currently playing in his head.

"**Appropriate.**"

With that, he pulled the trigger.

No recoil. No flash, no nothing. The ammo indicator in the corner of his eye, however, indicated that the magazine had one less round in it.

"**Slightly underwhelming. Boss, how was that?**"

* * *

In the command center, everyone was slightly disappointed. The bridge bunnies looked at their screens.

"Structural integrity of the building _has_ decreased, Dr. Mondschein."

"Yeah…"

He was expecting the building to collapse.

"That's odd…"

"What is it, Mr. Fisher?"

"The mini-teleporter didn't kick in."

There was a slight murmur in the command center.

"Mr. Fisher?"

"Yes?"

"Would it be safe to do a barrage?"

"Theoretically? Yes."

"Excellent! Quatre, distance yourself from the building!"

"**Can do, Boss.**"

On the view screen, they watched as Unit-04 backed away from the building. When it was a good distance away, it turned.

"Okay," Dr. Mondschein said, "Quatre?"

"**Yes, Boss?**"

"Go crazy."

"**You got it!**"

* * *

Out in the field, Unit-04 levelled his rifle to the building, and held the trigger. The building started to crack and eventually, after a couple seconds of concentrated fire, completely collapsed.

"**Well, that was more satisfying.**"

But then the rubble started to stir.

"**And that can't be good.**"

The rounds that everyone thought were dormant began to teleport spam. Every teleport was accompanied by an orange flash. The bullets were teleporting randomly, in every direction. And they were teleporting MUCH more then 3-5 times.

"**Ummm… Boss?**"

"_Quatre, get out of there!_"

"**Don't have to tell me twice!**"

Unit-04 ran towards the catapult that it used to get up to the surface. He was just about to reach it when an orange flash engulfed his leg. A bunch of bullets had teleported directly into his left leg, ripping it apart. Thankfully, the left leg was still the leg of a Test-Type Eva. He crawled slowly towards the catapult, and finally managed to reach it.

* * *

On the bridge…

"Bring the catapult down NOW!" Dr. Mondschein shouted.

"Aye, Sir!"

"Mr. Fisher, care to explain yourself?"

Fisher was mesmerized by the screen.

"Mr. Fisher?"

Fisher shook his head, and looked at Dr. Mondschein.

"I don't know what to say. The teleporters _should_ have burnt out by now! This doesn't make sense?"

"Did you use parts from Project ALTER?"

"Well, yeah!"

"What did you use?"

"We used some of the materials, synthesized the things we didn't have on hand, but nothing too extreme!"

"Per chance, did you use a black crystal in the actual bullets?"

"Black… Yeah, but what does that have to do with anything?"

"Everything," Dr. Mondschein replied, "Lieutenant Barret, activate the ARKS."

"Activating ARKS." He reported

"ARKS?" Fisher asked.

The bullets were teleporting erratically throughout the air, spreading out in every direction. Around the main field, towers raised up out of the ground. They looked inconspicuous, but the area in between each tower was… different. The bullets seemed to become attracted to these towers.

"The bullets are heading towards the towers, sir!"

"Good," Dr. Mondschein sighed, "As soon as they pass in between the towers, deactivate the ARKS."

"Aye, sir."

And they waited. They watched the screen as the orange flashes appeared closer and closer to the towers. Finally, the majority of the rounds were past the towers.

"Deactivating ARKS."

And then the area in between each tower seemed to… close. The bullets disappeared, and the towers sunk back down into the ground.

"Crisis averted, right?" Fisher asked.

That's when the alarms started blaring.

"Thank you, Mr. Fisher." Dr. Mondschein deadpanned.

An orange flash appeared on the view screen, and a bullet embedded itself in the screen. It flashed orange again and vanished.

"That's not good," Dr. Mondschein said, "That's not good at all."

"Sir, the round is advancing towards The Garden!"

"Can we stop it, lieutenant?"

"At this rate?" Lieutenant Barret typed something on his computer, "No. No we can't."

"Great. Just _Great._"

"Hold on," Fisher exclaimed, "What the hell is going on? ARKS? The Garden? Explain, Doc!"

"No," Dr. Mondschein said, simply.

"Why the hell not?"

"Because. If I told you, I would have to kill you. And trust me, I don't _want_ to kill you. Too much paperwork, would have to assign a new head of Weapons development. Too much work."

An explosion rocked the command center.

"I take it, Mr. Fisher, that that explosion was supposed to happen?"

"Yes… but not here."

"Sir?" Barret said, "The gate has been breached."

**WE ARE.**

**THROUGH LICENSE OF A FAKE, WE ARE.**

**THOUGH WE BELONG NOT TO LILITH, NOR TO ADAM, WE ARE.**

**WE WILL MAKE OURSELVES HEARD.**

**OUR WRATH MAY NOT EXTEND TO ALL CORNERS OF THE GLOBE,**

**BUT MAKE NO MISTAKE.**

**WE WILL DESTROY.**

**NOTHING IS SAFE.**

**WE ARE THE HERALDS.**

**AND WE WILL WAIT NO LONGER.**

"The Garden was housing ANGELS?" Fisher shouted.

"Among other things? No." Dr. Mondschein replied, "Not exactly. Where do you think the Test-Type Angel came from?"

"I… I didn't really think of that. What's IN The Garden?"

"Maybe someday, I'll show you. Lieutenant, how many Pattern Blues do you detect?"

"None now, Sir. They all seem to have left."

"Okay, how many were there?"

"At most, Sir? Four."

"Four Angels?" Fisher couldn't believe it, "Are they going to attack NERV-1?"

"No. They won't."

"How do you know for sure?"

"I just do, Mr. Fisher."

A pause. Everyone in the room looked scared. No one was sure what to do next. No one except Dr. Mondschein.

"Unit-04 won't be able to handle this alone." Fisher stated, "Even when it's completely regenerated. We need both Unit-04 _and_ Unit-14."

"I hate to say this," Dr. Mondschein stated, a disappointed look on his face. "But we need pilots.

A hologram of Unit-04 appeared in the command center.

"**I've accessed the database, and we already have one pilot selected.**"

Dr. Mondschein frowned.

"I know."

**PROJECT TELEFRAG: PROJECT PUT ON HOLD INDEFINITELY, UNTIL SUCH A TIME THAT APPROPRIATE MODIFICATIONS CAN BE MADE.**


	3. Maturing in a War Zone

**Maturing in a War Zone**

It's been one week since the accident. Everyone is on edge. Dr. Mondschein insisted on waiting for Unit-04's remaining limbs to regenerate before doing anything. So, all they could do effectively was wait. Wait and watch the monitors and pray that Unit-04 will be prepared for the upcoming attack.

Allan Fisher is pacing in the command center. Dr. Mondschein is looking at the destroyed view screen.

"So," Allan exclaimed, "What the hell do we do now?"

No one said anything.

"We have at least four Angels on the loose, and our base has been wrecked."

"We know, Mr. Fisher." Dr. Mondschein stated.

"Well, clearly you don't! We need Unit-14!"

"I know Mr. Fisher. I know all too well that we need Unit-14."

"And on top of all this, I have no idea what the hell is going on! The Garden? ARKS? The Gate? Can someone please explain to me what just happened?"

"Like I said, Mr. Fisher," Dr. Mondschein hopped down from the head of the command center to the level Fisher was at, "Maybe someday, I will tell you. But as of right now-"

"If you told me, you'd have to kill me. I got that. And you don't like paperwork, so you don't want to just outright murder me."

"More or less."

More silence. Not even Quatre's music could be heard.

"Why are you so apprehensive about it, Doc? Why can't we just go get the pilot?"

"Because the pilot is-"

Then the alarms started blaring.

"Lieutenant Barret, _please_ don't tell me that's a Pattern Blue."

"… Alright. Quatre?"

"**Pattern Blue detected, Boss. Angel attack.**"

He let out a disappointed sigh.

"Alright, where is it?"

"It's directly above us, Sir. Approximately 50 meters below the surface."

"50 meters below the surface? There's nothing up there."

"Then you should see the monitors, sir."

"Alright," He walked to Lieutenant Barret and stood next to him, looking down at the monitor, "Show me."

On the monitor was the view of the area above NERV-Alaska. Dr. Mondschein looked, but couldn't quite see what he was looking for.

"Right there, Sir."

Lieutenant Barret pointed at an innocent looking tree.

"That's a tree, Lieutenant Barret, not an Angel."

"The area above NERV-Alaska is completely barren, Sir. Not even Grass."

"**What's worse, is that it's growing exponentially.**"

The view of the monitor changed. It showed a sapling growing rapidly to the tree he saw on the monitor over the course of 30 seconds.

"How long did this take?"

"**That wasn't time lapsed, Boss.**"

He stared at the view screen. Sure enough, the tree was even bigger now.

"Well… F_."

"At this rate, it will reach NERV in just over an hour."

Dr. Mondschein turned on his heels and started to run out of the control center.

"Doc!" Fisher called out for him, "Where are you going?"

"I'm going to get the pilot for Unit-14."

**I AM.**

**THROUGH LICENSE OF A FAKE, I HAVE COME.**

**THOUGH I BELONG NOT TO ADAM OR TO LILITH, I HAVE COME.**

**I WILL BREAK THROUGH THE CRUST OF THIS WORLD NOT OUR OWN.**

**I WILL FIND MY ULTIMATE GOAL.**

**YOU CANNOT STOP ME, FOR EVEN GOD HIMSELF FEARED ME,**

**FOR I CAN MAKE EVEN THE MOST PURE FALL.**

**I AM THE TREE OF KNOWLEDGE.**

**AND I WILL CAST DOWN THE MIGHTY.**

* * *

Four years ago…

Dream Mondschein is driving his son home from school. An awkward silence permeates the air in the car. Adam is abnormally quiet and Dream is too preoccupied with the events of the day. He decides to break the silence.

"Something on your mind, kiddo?"

"No."

"Then why are you so quiet?"

"I didn't get a good sleep last night, so I'm really tired right now."

"Ah. Alright."

Then the silence returned. This car ride, Dream thinks, is not the most enjoyable one he's had.

"I uh… I met someone at work."

"Do tell."

"Another scientist, kind of like me. He's here to help work on something."

"What are you working on?

"Just some renewable fuel source. You know how it is."

Another lie. He hates lying to his son, he really does. That's why he just doesn't tell him the details.

"That's interesting. How's it going?"

"It's going real well. Real well. He has a daughter, and decided to bring her in today to take a look around."

"Why don't you ever let me go to your work?"

"Cause you were never interested."

"… Oh right."

"Anyway, his daughter is about your age. So I told her about you. And she actually wants to talk to you."

"What's she like?"

"She's smart. Curious. I know she likes classical music, too."

"Really?"

"Really."

"When can I see her?"

"Well, they have to leave soon, so she wants to talk to you over email for now. I gave her your email address, so when we get home you should get a message from her."

"Alright, I'll check."

When they eventually got home, sure enough, he had received an email from this mystery girl.

_Adam,_

_I met your father at his work today, and he told me about you. You seem like an interesting person. I wish that I could talk to you in person, but as your father probably already told you, we're leaving soon. If you're interested, please email me back as soon as you can, okay?_

_Sincerely,_

_Allison Catorce_

And so he started to type his own reply.

_Allison,_

_Yes, I'm interested. I'd really like to get to know you. My dad didn't tell me much, but he told me you like classical music. I thought I was the only one my age that did. I wouldn't mind getting to know you._

_Sincerely,_

_Adam Mondschein_

That's when it started. Over the years, they kept in contact with each other. Sending emails to each other, and always checking up on each other. It was all cute, really. Eventually, they decided to advance to an instant messenger.

_

* * *

ALLISON: When we first started talking to each other, you said that you liked classical music. I can't really believe we haven't talked about it since then, but do you like anything specific? Do you like any other kinds of music?_

_ADAM: I do. People call me weird, mostly because I like classical music, but also because I like classical music and Rock and Roll. They're more or less opposites, but I can't help it if I like them, right? When it comes to classics, though, I like mostly Bach._

_ALLISON: I'm more of a Chopin person myself. But, like you said, you can't control what you love. Do you play any instruments?_

_ADAM: No, I don. But I am very interested in the arts. I'm actually working to be a writer some day. How about you?_

_ALLISON: I can't play any instruments either. I just like classical music. I actually hope I can be a scientist some day._

_ADAM: Well, you're smart. I'm sure you can be whatever you want to be._

_ALLISON: … I don't think so._

_ADAM: What are you talking about? Of course you can._

_ALLISON: I hope you're right._

A couple moths after that, Allison started to ask different questions. She used to ask about Adam, but now she started asking about other things. Where he lived, what the view was like. What he did with his friends. When he asked her why, she just explained that she wanted to know what he saw every day.

* * *

Present day…

Odd, as he hasn't gotten a message in over a month. Usually, Allison and him talk roughly once a week. But the past month has been quiet. She mentioned that a relative was staying over, and that he was slightly hyperactive and enjoyed listening to his music a bit too loud. But after that, she just… stopped.

That's why he found it odd that he had a message for him when he got back home from school. He looks at his computer, apprehensive, and his heart leaps a little when he notices who it's from.

_ALLISON: Adam! Adam, I need to talk to you!_

He quickly started typing his reply.

_ADAM: Allison, where have you been? I haven't heard from you in… I don't even know how long._

_ALLISON: That's not important right now. But I just have to talk to you right now._

_ADAM: Why? What's wrong?_

_ALLISON: Things… Things are really bad here. My relative that was staying over? He came back in earlier today really badly injured._

_ADAM: Is he going to be alright?_

_ALLISON: I don't know, no one is telling me anything! And with how things are going…_

_ADAM: What are you talking about?_

_ALLISON: Things… Things got really bad around here. Something happened, and it's not safe here anymore._

_ADAM: Can you get out of there?_

_ALLISON: … No. I can't._

_ADAM: Then tell me where you live, and I'll be there as soon as I can!_

_ALLISON: I can't… I don't want to put you in danger, too._

_ADAM: I don't care! I just want to make sure you're safe!_

_ALLISON: But I do care! I..._

There was a long pause. Adam waited. What he wouldn't give to finally see her and be there for her.

_ALLISON: I might not be able to talk to you again._

_ADAM: What?_

_ALLISON: This is why I wanted to talk again after so long._

_ADAM: What are you talking about? Why won't I see you again?_

_ALLISON: I can't tell you. But can you listen to… read… what I have to say?_

_ADAM: Always._

Another pause. He waited, and he would wait however long he needed to.

_ALLISON: I don't know if it's right. I don't know if I should feel like this. But if I'm never going to talk to you again, there's something I want you to know._

_ADAM: What is it?_

_ALLISON: I… I love you, Adam. And I always will._

_ALLISON HAS DISCONNECTED_

He stared at the screen in disbelief. She loved him. She said that she loved him. He started to laugh. He laughed cause something triggered in his own mind. Did he feel the same way? When she said that she loved him, did he want to say those words back to her? Alone, laughing, he looked at the screen, and decided to admit it to himself.

"Good god, yes."

He continued laughing. He was convinced that she would just come back online, and they would have a good old laugh about it, and he could tell her that he feels the same. But it dawned on him: She's not coming back online. Not after what she said. He started to plead to his monitor, hoping that she would come back. He knew his words meant nothing, and she couldn't hear him. And possibly never will. But he didn't want to let go. He didn't want to let go of that feeling. He couldn't let go of that feeling.

That's when he heard his father walk in through the front door.

"Adam! We need to go! NOW!"

He closed his laptop, and rushed out of his bedroom.

"Why? What is it?"

"I'll explain on the way, but we have to move!"

"Okay!"

They both rushed out of the apartment and down to the front of the complex. Adam hopped into the passenger seat, and his father slid across the front and leaped into the open driver side window. He shifted the car into Drive and slammed his foot into the pedal. Adam grabbed onto the door handle, and was pushed back by the sudden acceleration.

"This isn't safe!"

"No," His father said, keeping his eyes forward, "No, it's not safe at all."

"Why are we in such a rush?"

"Something happened at work that only you can help with."

"This is the craziest day ever! I finally get a message back from Allison, only to have her tell me her life has gone to shit and I can't possibly help her. Then you come in like the devil himself is chasing you, and you drag me to what will probably be my death!"

"Mine was crazier, I can guarantee that."

"What do you _do,_ dad? And no more 'I would tell you but I'd have to kill you' crap! Cause at this rate, we're going to die anyway!"

"I'd tell you, but you wouldn't believe me. Not yet. So, I'm going to show you."

"Simplify it then!"

"You want simple? You got simple, kiddo. You? Are going to help me save the world."

**Pilot of Unit-14: Status- En Route**


	4. The Night Sky

**The Night Sky**

"So let me get this straight…"  
Dr. Mondschein and his son, Adam, are in an elevator, going down. On the way there, Dr. Mondschein had told his son the gist of everything. What his actual work was, what their situation was, the Angel, all that. That's not to say he believed it, though.  
"You are the head of a secret organization-"  
"Just this branch."  
"You spend day after day developing high tech weapons designed to fight whatever is thrown at humanity-"  
"Go on."  
"And you are expecting _me_ to pilot some semi-experimental super-weapon to fight a _tree?_"  
"It's called an Angel, Adam. And yes. That is what I'm getting you to do."  
"I'm sorry, Dad, but I can't believe this."  
"I told you. I told you that you wouldn't believe this. That's why I'm showing you."  
"Showing me what? So far, all you've shown me is this underground facility!"  
The elevator doors opened, revealing a massive, hollow shaft leading up. Instead of a ground floor, the shaft was filled up with a red liquid. An artificial lake, with a dock and everything. Waiting for them was Allan Fisher, in a boat tied to the dock.  
"You're right on time. Hop in, you two."  
They walked down the dock and hopped into the boat. Allan fired up the motor and took off towards the opposite end of the 'lake.'  
"So, Doc," He started, "This is the pilot?"  
"Yeah. Adam? This is Allan Fisher. He's the head of actually making weapons."  
"Pleasure to meet you, Mr. Fisher."  
"I don't mean to sound impolite, Kid," Fisher explained, "but pleasantries are going to have to be exchanged later. This is a crisis."  
After a while, they finally reached the dock at the opposite end of the shaft. Dr. Mondschein and Adam climbed out, and Fisher tied the boat up.  
"Adam, come this way."  
Dr. Mondschein led his son to a set of security doors. When they reached the doors, he became slightly hesitant.  
"What is it, dad?"  
"I could do what the Ikari's in NERV-1 did, and turn the lights off… No, you should see right off the bat."  
He slid a keycard into a slot next to the doors, and they opened up.  
"After you, kiddo."  
They walked in, and before them stood a massive humanoid shaped behemoth.  
"Adam, I'd like to introduce you to Evangelion Experimental Unit-14."  
The body of the Evangelion was mainly green, with some dark yellow detailing. The head was mostly green as well, and had spikey red protrusions that looked like slicked back red hair. It had three eyes, arranged in a vertical line down the 'face.'  
"Ah… guh… buh… Wuh…?"  
"This is the 'Semi-Experimental Super-Weapon' I told you about."  
"You… You want me to… Pilot THAT?"  
"I don't _want_ you to pilot it, Adam. But I _need_ you to pilot it."  
He just stood and stared at Unit-14. How could this day get any weirder? Hell, his day was normal up until Allison messaged him! Wait a second…  
"If I pilot this…" he muttered under his breath, "I could probably make sure she's safe… If what Dad says is true, then I could protect everyone… including her…"  
"_Dr. Mondschein,_" A voice came over the loudspeakers, "_The roots have nearly reached The Garden._"  
"Adam, if you're going to make a choice-"  
"I'll do it."  
"You will? Excellent!" He pulled two clips out of seemingly nowhere, and handed them to Adam, "You're going to need to wear these."  
"**Boss,**" Another voice on the loudspeaker, "**why am I not surprised that you carry those around with you?**"  
"Because… Shut up, Quatre."  
"Who was that?"  
"I'll tell you after. As for right now, we need to get you into the entry plug. Come on."

* * *

In the command center, they were preparing the catapults for Eva usage, running diagnostics on all systems, and praying to whatever god they worshipped that the angel didn't reach The Garden.  
"Alright!" Dr. Mondschein entered the command center, "The pilot is in the entry plug. Lieutenant Barret?"  
"Injecting LCL."  
"Alright. Adam, this is going to be unpleasant. No, it's not blood, and no, you're not going to drown."  
"_Drown? What are you- AH!_"  
"BREATHE."  
All everyone heard from the speakers was Adam's desperate attempt not to breathe.  
"It's oxygenated, Adam! You can breathe the stuff!"  
A pause.  
"_And you said it's not blood?_"  
"Well, you can see through it and can breathe it. Can you do that with blood?"  
"_Can't say I've ever tried breathing blood, Dad._"  
"… Good point."  
"Synch rate is holding at 60%, sir."  
"Good… good. Load up Quatre's tunes."  
He smiled a devilish smile, one that was reserved for Crazy awesomeness.  
"Let's make it happen."  
The loudspeakers in Unit-04 came alive, and started playing a simple tune.  
"_Yes! A Lumberjack! Leaping from tree to tree-_"  
"**No. This isn't happening.**"  
"Quatre, we don't have time to argue!"  
"**I have standards, Boss.**"  
Dr. Mondschein sighed. Slightly disappointed, but he expected this. Oh well, maybe some other time.  
"Fine. Here you go." (.com/watch?v=QmhjmYI8p7E&feature=related)  
A pause.  
"**Appropriate. This'll do. Okay Boss. Let's rock.**"  
"Adam?"  
"_Let's get this over with._"  
"Lieutenant?"  
"Units 04 and 14 are loaded into the catapult."  
"Alright! Evangelion Unit-04 and 14! Launch!"

* * *

The two Evangelion units shot through the underground shaft at intense speeds. In his entry plug, Adam felt as if he was going to be completely crushed by the g-force. Before he knew it, though, he was at the surface. On the surface, he saw a massive tree. Massive from his new perspective, his roughly 200 foot tall perspective.  
"Ummm… Dad?"  
"_Yes?_"  
"Just how big is this thing?"  
"_Good question. Lieutenant?_"  
"_It's holding at 700 feet tall. Trunk diameter is roughly 200 feet._"  
"S-seven hundred feet?"  
"_Don't worry, you can handle it. We're going to release the locks now. When we do, just… Walk._"  
"HOW?"  
"_Okay. Make your mind work. Think that you're walking, but don't._"  
"Okay… Walk."  
"_Releasing locks._" Lieutenant Barret said over the intercom.  
Adam felt the Evangelion lurch a bit forward. He felt slightly off balance, but nothing he couldn't handle. He hoped so, anyway.  
"Okay… walk…"  
Unit-14's right foot came forward, and hit the ground.  
"So far so good. I can do this."  
The left foot now. Slow, steady, but keeping balance.  
"I have to do this."  
"**Need to do some laps, Pilot?**"  
"No. I think I got this."  
Unit-14 started jogging in place.  
"**Okay, as long as you got this handled. You ready to rock this thing's face off?**"  
"Oh yeah."  
"**Kickass. Boss? We need saws. Preferably big, and of the Chain variety.**  
"_Evangelion sized Chainsaws: Coming up! Coming in from Hatch 27!_"  
A hatch opened up behind the two Evas. A giant metal container shot up from underneath and opened up revealing, to no one's surprise but Adam's, two massive chainsaws.  
"We actually have chainsaws?"  
Unit-04 grabbed one and grabbed the pull cord.  
"**Pilot, when you work at NERV-Alaska,**" He pulled and revved up the Chainsaw, "**Chainsaws are the least awesome thing you can find.**"  
Shrugging his shoulders, Adam moved Unit-14 and grabbed the remaining chainsaw.  
"Alright. Time to pilot this machine of war to _cut down a tree._"  
"_Adam,_" Dr. Mondschein said over the com, "_you are going to be the one doing the most work here. You're going to be cutting it down. Quatre?_"  
"**I'm going to rock the tree's AT Field to death. If it has one. Cutting it down from my side is a secondary priority.**"  
"_Right. Get to it, you two._"  
The air around Unit-04 began to shimmer. The two Eva Units began advancing on the massive tree. Unit-14 revved up its chainsaw and held it at roughly the smallest part of the trunk.  
"I'm making the first incision."  
The saw began to dig into the trunk. The Angel let out a deafening cry, and the trunk flashed orange. Unit-14 was flung onto its back, and the chainsaw flew out of its hand.  
"**You okay, Pilot?**"  
"Yeah, yeah. I'm fine."  
The branches of the tree started waving around in the air, independently.  
"**That doesn't look too good.**"  
Then one of the branches lashed out at Unit-04. It jumped back, and the ground in front of it was promptly sliced.  
"Neither does that. Dad?"  
"_Your mission is the same, Adam. Quatre, your job is to cover Adam. For that, you need the weapon coming up through Hatch 28._"  
"**Affirmative, Boss.**"  
A hatch right next to the Chainsaw container opened up, and another container opened up. Inside of it was…  
"**Okay, instead of a chain**_**saw**_**, I get a chain**_**gun?**_** Boss, you're the greatest!**"  
Unit-04 grabbed hold of the chaingun and pointed it at the branches. Adam picked the chainsaw up off the ground and brought it back to the tree.  
"Ready?"  
"**Hell yeah.**"  
He dug the chainsaw into the tree again, and again, the Angel let out a cry. Unit-04 let loose with its chaingun and shot at the branches that were trying to rip Unit-14 apart. All was going relatively well. The branches were deterred by the bullets, and the chainsaw was making reasonable progress.

* * *

Everyone was watching on whatever monitor they could find. Dr. Mondschein was watching on his wrist computer, and Fisher was watching over Lieutenant Barret's shoulder.  
"They seem to be making good progress." Allan stated.  
"Mr. Fisher…" Dr. Mondschein said, "Don't ever say that again."  
"Why? It's not like something's going to happen every single time, right?"  
That's when they heard a sound like slicing metal and flesh.  
"Right. Never saying that again."

* * *

Out in the field, things WERE going good. But then the tree diverted its attention from Unit-14 to the more immediate threat. The branches turned and flew towards Unit-04. They sliced the chain gun's barrels and started impacting on Unit-04's own AT Field.  
"**Too close for comfort! Switching to Knife!**"  
The shoulder of the unit opened up and revealed the handle of a knife. He pulled the knife out, and it extended to its full length. He began slashing at the branches, but wasn't fast enough. The branches hit the knife out of his hand and cut off of his right arm.  
"**AH! F_, my arm!**"  
He jumped out of the way of more branches and towards the catapult.  
"_You two, get the hell out of there!_"  
"**Pilot, I advise that we follow the Boss's advice!**"  
Adam looked back and saw Unit-04's predicament. Realizing that he didn't have backup anymore, he let go of the chainsaw and ran towards the catapults along with Unit-04.  
"Come on, dad! We need the catapults lowered!"  
Then he felt a sharp pain through his stomach. The stomach of Unit-14 was pierced through with one of the branches.  
"Gah!"  
Another two pierced the shoulders and lifted Unit-14 off the ground.  
"_ADAM!_"  
Three branches floated in front of Unit-14's face.  
"N-no… It can't… end like this…"  
They pierced the three eyes on the Eva's head. Adam screamed out in pain.  
"_Adam, it's not your body that's in pain! It's the Eva!_"  
"It… can't end…"  
He slumped down in his seat, let go of the controls, and chuckled to himself.  
"I wanted… to do so much. I wanted to become a writer. I wanted…"  
The three branches pulled out and floated towards the chest.  
"I wanted to tell her how I really felt."  
He furiously grabbed the controls and tried to move.  
"Damnit! I wanted to see her! I wanted to see her just once!"  
The Eva unit's arms struggled, but didn't move.

* * *

"Sir, the Eva's nerves in the right and left arm have been completely shot! It can't move its arms!"  
Dr. Mondschein started to panic. He looked on frantically, unable to do anything.  
"Adam! You have to move!"  
"_I can't… Dad, my arms are numb._"  
"You have to do something! Use your legs! Use your mouth if you have to!"  
"_Nothing's working, Dad._"  
"Can't Quatre do anything?" Fisher interjected.  
"**In my state? I'll just end up in that situation as well.**"

* * *

Unit-14's legs thrashed around, and its arms struggled.  
"Damnit… Damnit…. DAMNIT!"  
Adam struggled with the controls.  
"I wanted to protect her! I need to protect her! That's why I'm in this damn machine! Move you stupid piece of junk! I need to protect Allison!"  
The Eva's eyes began glowing, and the air around the Eva began to shimmer.  
"He who fights monsters… should see to it that he himself does not become a monster"

* * *

"Sir! Massive spike in synch rate!"  
"This is either good or bad…"  
"152% and climbing... 250… He's at 300%!"

* * *

In the cockpit, Adam's eyes started glowing a dull red.  
"If I become an Angel… so be it. I'll endure the isolation. Anything… to protect her!"  
The three branches flew at Unit-14's face again, but instead impacted an AT Field.

* * *

"He's… He's at 400% synch rate, sir."  
Dr. Mondschein stared at the monitor in disbelief.  
"Unit-14 is going berserk." Fisher stated.  
"Great," Dr. Mondschein said, "First time he pilots, and he gets eaten by an Eva. My son just got eaten by an Evangelion! This is precisely why I was putting this off!"  
"Sir… I'm detecting additional AT Fields."  
"… What?"  
"Detecting… 4 other AT Fields!"  
"More Angels?"  
"No… No, they're coming from Unit-14!"  
"That's impossible!"

* * *

The branches holding up Unit-14 were instantly cut by the sudden generation of the AT-Fields. More branches flew towards Unit-14, but were instead stopped. An angelic voice resonated within the Evangelion.  
"_**Nothing can stop me.**_"  
The AT Fields expanded and contracted in and moved in complex patterns.  
"_**I found it.**_"  
The voice started speaking to itself in such a speed that no one could make out what it was saying. The AT fields sped up, and it stopped talking. It walked slowly towards the Angel, and any branches that came near it were instantly cut to ribbons.  
"_**Calculations complete. Hydrogen, Oxygen, and trace amounts of elements with correct properties isolated. Burn.**_"  
From within the AT Fields, a spark ignited the isolated elements, creating a wall of flame that consumed the tree. It let out a deafening and terrifying cry.

* * *

Within the command center, everyone was holding their ears closed.  
"Damn!" Fisher said, "Its like nails on a chalkboard embedded in my soul!"  
"The main body has been destroyed!" Lieutenant Barret reported.  
"Quatre!" Dr. Mondschein yelled, "We're sending you a present in Hatch 30!"

* * *

The hatch opened up. Inside the container was an all too familiar drill, with an arm attached to it.  
"**The MSBU Drill?**"  
"_If I'm right, just attach it to your severed arm. That way you can use it's AT Field as well._"  
He picked up the drill and held it to his right arm. Sure enough, the muscles in his arm wrapped around the joint in the arm. He felt the muscles ease their way through the various workings of the arm, until it reached the tip of the drill.  
"**Hello, old friend. We got another angel to kill.**"  
Unit-04 walked past the berserk Unit-14 and into the burning pile that was the main body of the Angel. He lifted the drill into the sky and plunged it into the ground. The end of the drill opened up and grabbed a hold of the core. He yanked and pulled the core out of the ground. He flung it into the sky and ignited the Anti-matter within the drill tip and activated the Drill's AT Field. The familiar bright light shone out throughout the landscape.  
"_**Your sunrise…**_"  
The angel was completely vaporized, along with the Drill tip. Unit-14 deactivated, and Unit-04 brought it back to NERV.

* * *

One hour later…

Dr. Mondschein was in his office. They defeated the Angel. Not without incident. For the past hour, various workers were observing the now inert Unit-14. No sign of his son. So he waited in his office. Fisher knocked on the door.  
"Doc?"  
"Yes, Mr. Fisher?"  
"I want to talk about Project ALTER."  
"Really, Mr. Fisher? My son gets eaten by an Evangelion and you want to know about Project ALTER?"  
"Simply put? Yes."  
He sighed. He reached into one of his desk drawers and pulled out a heavy notebook. Their were post-it notes on some pages, some pages were marked, and the cover itself looked slightly worn. On the cover was written "Project ALTER."

Underneath was written "Submitted by: Mondschein, Dream."

"You…?"  
"That's right. I was the creative genius behind Project ALTER."  
"But… why didn't you tell us?"  
"Because I didn't think you would find anything. Old project notes, equations… They were all safe. But no. My predecessors just _HAD_ to keep the one thing that made it blow up in our faces."  
"How did it fail?"  
"Well, the original project was to create a separate dimension. Hammerspace, if you will. A place where humans can go in the event of an Angel attack. A shelter reality, basically. All my equations were sound. They made sense, and in theory, the entire thing should have worked fine. But then the bastards decided to weaponize it."  
"Explain."  
"They made it into a weapon, plain and simple. Instead of making it into a simple shelter, they decided to make a cannon out of it. The cannon itself fired AR Energy. Essentially, it threw entire realities at the target. Now, even then, it shouldn't have failed. But no, the quartz crystals that I specified would have shattered after the first blast! They decided to bring in some Black crystal that I've never seen before and use that. It didn't shatter after the first shot. It didn't shatter ever. Instead, when the cannon fired, the crystal took the AR Energy, something it wouldn't have done if it shattered, and shorted out the system. It caused the entire system to go haywire and shoot AR Energy everywhere."  
"Did you manage to stop it?"  
"Oh yes. _I_ stopped it. I went up to the surface, went to the cannon, and ripped the crystal out myself. Shut the whole thing down. Not before getting hit by it once or twice."  
"You got hit by something like that?"  
"Yup. Hurt like a bitch, too."  
"How did you survive having a reality thrown at you?"  
"My body absorbed it. I think the cannon itself was supposed to be anti-material, not anti-personnel. Now, I got this."  
He pulled up his left sleeve, revealing his arm. The arm itself looked fine, except for the elbow joint that looked like a chunk of the night sky.  
"What is that?"  
"My own personal hammerspace. Not entirely useful, but I have managed to pull off some pretty neat stuff with it."  
He pulled his sleeve back down, and from 'nowhere' pulled the original schematics of Project Telefrag.  
"That's how you did it!"  
"Yup."  
"What about the ARKS?"  
"They're 'Alternate Reality Kinetic Shielding.' Hardened AR Energy. Two things can happen with it. One, it can become similar to an AT Field and just block whatever is coming at it. Or it can effectively become a portal to hammerspace, and can seal objects away."  
"Like with the bullets from Project Telefrag."  
"Exactly."  
"Can you make your own ARKS?"  
"Don't know. Never tried."  
"**Boss, there's been a development.**"  
Dr. Mondschein got up from his chair.  
"What is it? Is it about my son?"  
"**Yup. He's out of the Eva. And he wants to have a word with you.**"

**Angel designation "NA-03: Tree of Knowledge." Status: Destroyed by Evangelion Unit-04 and Evangelion Unit-14.**

**Pilot of Unit-14 temporarily absorbed by Unit-14. Status: Free, and slightly confused.**


	5. When one vanished

**When One Vanished**

"He's… He's at 400% synch rate, sir."  
Dr. Mondschein stared at the monitor in disbelief.  
"Unit-14 is going berserk." Fisher stated.  
"Great," Dr. Mondschein said, "First time he pilots, and he gets eaten by an Eva. My son just got eaten by an Evangelion! This is precisely why I was putting this off!"  
"Sir… I'm detecting additional AT Fields."

~~~  
_**I'm not alone.**_  
You're not?  
What does it mean to be alone?  
Is it just the absence of company?

Or the absence of interaction?  
~~~

The branches holding up Unit-14 were instantly cut by the sudden generation of the AT-Fields. More branches flew towards Unit-14, but were instead stopped. An angelic voice resonated within the Evangelion.  
"_**Nothing can stop me.**_"  
The AT Fields expanded and contracted in and moved in complex patterns.  
"_**I found it.**_"

~~~  
What was found?  
Who found it?  
Who am I?  
_**Who are you?**_  
Who are _you?_  
What are you?  
Why am I here?

_**What colour hair do you like?**_  
Why do you need to know?

Dark. Dark hair. Black.

_**Black. Absence of color. No light reflects back. Unless it's a pigment, then the pigment merely absorbs the-**_  
Is there a point to this?  
~~~

Control center of NERV-Alaska. Unit-14 went berserk and destroyed the body of the Angel. Quatre, Unit-04, ripped the core from the ground and destroyed it in a miniature Supernova.  
"Lieutenant Barret," Dr. Mondschein started, "Status of the Evangelion units?"  
"The MSBU Drill has completely integrated with Unit-04. We won't be able to get it off of him unless we perform surgery."  
"What about Unit-14?"  
"Unit-14 has just deactivated itself."  
"Have Quatre bring it in. I want surveillance on Unit-14 at all times, and notify me if and when the Pilot de-synchs."  
"Aye, Sir."  
"I'll be in my office."  
He trudged off towards his office. Fisher merely watched as he left. The familiar hologram of Unit-04 appeared beside him.  
"**Well, at least one good thing came of this.**"  
"What, Quatre?"  
"**I got a new arm.**"  
"Not… not now."  
"**I know.**"

~~~  
_**You want to protect.**_  
Yes. I do.  
_**What do you want to protect?**_  
The world that she lives in.  
_**You would put yourself in danger for another's sake?**_  
Yup. Especially hers.  
_**Why?**_  
Because I care about her.  
_**Care?**_  
Yes.  
_**Or more?**_  
Yes.  
_**Love?**_  
Yes.  
_**Why do you care about her? You've never seen her.**_  
I'm not going to question how you know that, so instead, I'll tell you what she told me.  
_**What's that?**_  
She said 'You can't control who you love.' And I don't want to.

_**Do you like… smaller girls?**_  
Small as in younger? Or small as in size?  
~~~

The hologram of Unit-04 stood in front of the green behemoth that was Unit-14. He stared at it, knowing that it wouldn't stare back. But he wanted to talk.  
"**More then one AT Field? How did you do that?**"  
Of course, no answer.  
"**Fine then. Be that way. Instead, I'm going to talk your ears off. I'm going to ask questions. Feel free to pipe in and answer some of them. But… I'm not holding my breath.**"  
A hologram of an elegant and evidently very expensive chair appeared behind him. He sat down on it and looked up at Unit-14.  
"**I'll ask again: What's with the multiple AT Fields?**"  
No answer.  
"**Okay. That was a fancy trick you did, by the way. Crossing the AT Fields without them deteriorating. I especially liked how you managed to isolate certain elements. That was impressive. All I've got going for me is that I got a longer battery life.**"  
Nothing.  
"**Hey, those extra couple of minutes could be a matter of Life or Death!**"  
A pause.  
"**I was originally going to have infinite battery life. Able to work almost completely independently. Then the people at NERV-1 decided to use my saving grace as a bomb. Managed to seal away ADAM, so I guess it was a worthy trade off.**"  
Nadda.  
"**… What I'm really building up to, though…**"  
He stood up from his "Chair." He walked up to the edge of the platform and stood close to Unit-14.  
"**What did you do to Boss's kid?**"  
A stir. The hologram's shoulders tensed up.  
"**What. Did you do. With Adam Mondschein?**"  
The eyes of Unit-14 lit up. The staff on surveillance duty watched in shock as it came to life again.  
"_**I found it.**_"  
"**That's not an answer! What did you do to Adam?**"  
"_**He's safe.**_"  
"**He better be.**"  
"_**Why do you care about him?**_"  
Quatre stopped, and thought for a second. Why _did_ he care so much? Oh, that's why.  
"**Dr. Mondschein is his father. Dr. Mondschein also created me. In a sense… You could say that Adam is my brother.**"  
"_**Then don't worry.**_"  
The Evangelions eyes darkened, and it shut down again. Quatre's shoulders relaxed, and he slumped down in his holographic chair again.  
"**Boss did say you were curious.**"

~~~  
It wasn't just emptiness anymore. He was actually there this time. He was standing in the emptiness as opposed to it merely _being_ in the emptiness. Had it been a minute? Had it been an hour? Had it been a year? He didn't know. That voice questioned him. It would question his motivations. His relationships. His tendencies. But the disturbing part was when it asked him what he liked.  
"Why did you ask me all those questions? Where am I, anyway?"  
"_**Did you know…**_" The voice came back, "_**That she is not real?**_"  
"Who?"  
"_**The one you know as 'Allison.' She does not physically exist.**_"  
"That… That's not possible."  
"_**It is.**_"  
"… I'm talking to Allison right now, aren't I?"  
Then she appeared. A girl. Smaller then normal. Not unhealthy, but a bit shorter and a bit skinnier. Green eyes, shoulder length black hair. Everything he said he liked. Hell, he could swear he was hearing a Bach suite in the back of his head.  
"Yes. You are."  
He stared at her, his jaw hanging open. To describe the silence as 'Awkward' would be an understatement. They stood there, looking at each other. She broke the silence first.  
"This… This is about the reaction I was expecting."  
"You… You're the Evangelion?"  
"Yes."  
"All these years… Every time I sent you an email, every time I talked to you through that messenger…"  
"You were really talking to a machine of war."  
"Well… You never said differently. Aside from the fact that you said you traveled a lot in your younger years."  
"Well, I did. I was assembled in multiple NERV Branches. One branch constructed my legs, one constructed my head, et cetera. It was at NERV-Alaska that I was… born."  
"Then you never really lied to me."  
Another awkward silence. After all these years of talking to each other, this was the first time they couldn't find words. Adam searched through his head, looking for _something_ to say.  
"You didn't exactly answer where we are, though."  
"Oh, sorry about that. We're inside my core."  
"I'm inside you."  
"Yup. When I found out that it was you, that it was _really_ you, and not someone sharing a name, I got excited. Our thoughts ended up synching completely. I wanted to protect you…"  
"And _I_ wanted to protect _you._"  
"… I meant it, you know."  
"What?"  
"I love you."  
"Oh…"  
"It's okay, you don't have to love me as well."  
"But-"  
"I'm a monster, Adam. I'm built to fight the Angels. You're a human. When this is all over, you can go back to living the life you want to live. When I'm done… I'm going to be decommissioned."  
"Killed."  
"I guess." She never thought of it as being killed. She was built. Not born. But she did have her interaction with Adam. Maybe she was born when she first talked to him. Maybe that's how she was 'Alive' and could be 'killed.'  
"You should get back. Your father is probably worried about you."  
"Yeah. Probably."  
"And you probably need to digest what just happened."  
He chuckled lightly to himself.  
"Oh yeah."  
"Alright. I'll let you go on one condition."  
"And what would that be?"  
"Can you… hug me?"  
"After all this time? Of course."  
The walked towards each other, and Adam wrapped his arms around 'Allison.' She wrapped her arms around his chest. But something felt… off.  
"Adam?"  
"I feel it, too."  
"It doesn't feel like you're actually there."  
"Yeah… I'm sorry."  
"Don't be. Anyway," she broke off, and smiled away the tears that formed in her eyes, "A promise is a promise. You can go back now."  
"I'm sorry. I… I'll see you again."  
"Probably."  
And he faded from her view.

And in her nothingness, she cried out for the one thing she wanted, but realized she could never have.  
~~~

He woke up in the Entry plug of Unit-14. He felt as if he just woke up, and had the worst dream ever.  
"**The pilot of Unit-14 has de-synched! Eject the plug!**"  
In his daze, he remembered the voice of the pilot of Unit-04. Seemed odd. His father said he'd explain later.  
"_Draining LCL. Get him to the infirmary!_"  
The weird, blood-like fluid he was submerged in drained, and the hatch leading into the entry plug opened. He snapped out of his daze just long enough to do what he felt needed to be done. The surveillance staff took him and helped him out of the entry plug.  
"I need…" He started, "To talk to my father."  
And then he passed out.

* * *

"**Boss, there's been a development.**"  
Dr. Mondschein got up from his chair.  
"What is it? Is it about my son?"  
"**Yup. He's out of the Eva. And he wants to have a word with you.**"

**Pilot of Unit-14 temporarily absorbed by Unit-14. Status: Free, and slightly confused.**

* * *

He woke up, looking to an unfamiliar ceiling. He looked around, slightly less groggy then last time he woke up, and spotted his father sitting in a chair next to him. This snapped him out of his daze quickly enough.  
"You wanted to speak to me about Unit-14, I assume?"  
"You knew that Allison was the Evangelion, didn't you?"  
"Yes. But I never wanted you to be the pilot."  
"Then why?"  
"Well, it was part of an experiment," He leaned in towards his son, "The pilot of Unit-01 was doing the same thing as you, talking to the AI within the Evangelion."  
"Did he know?"  
"Nope. If either of you actually knew, then it would have all been for nothing."  
"I'm assuming that's because we wouldn't be able to connect as well."  
"Precisely."  
"… The pilot of Unit-01… Did he… fall in love with the AI?"  
"No. Did you?"  
Adam looked away from his father.  
"… I never thought your relationship with her would get to the level it got to."  
"Is it-"  
"It's not _bad_, just unintended."  
He leaned back in his chair.  
"If you want…" He started, "I could make her a body to inhabit. In case you want some face to face with her."  
"I… I don't know… I need to think about this."  
"Of course. Well," He stood up in his chair, and put a set of clothes on the bed, "We should get going now. You get dressed, and I'll wait outside."  
"Where are we going?"  
"Home, Kiddo."  
"Am I done fighting the Angels?"  
"I wish it wasn't the case, but no. You still have to fight some more."  
"How many?"  
"I don't know. Are you still up for it?"  
"Yeah."  
"Alright. I'll be outside."

* * *

Two weeks later...

Dr. Mondschein, along with his son, is walking down the hall towards the locker rooms.  
"What are we doing here, Dad?"  
"Well, first off, you're getting your Plug Suit."  
"Plug suit?"  
"This delightful skin-tight outfit that lets you synch easier with your Evangelion unit."  
"Skin… Tight…?"  
"I'd say it's not as bad as it sounds, but… The only group that benefits from the 'Skin Tight' aspect are the guys."  
"The guys? How?"  
"The female pilots."  
"… Ah."  
The continued walking down the corridor. They both searched their brains to find something to break the silence and wash away the massive amounts of awkward that found its way in.  
"Oh, speaking of other pilots, I haven't met the pilot of Unit-04 yet."  
"I haven't told you yet?"  
"No, what did you have to tell me?"  
"Unit-04 doesn't have a pilot."  
"It doesn't?"  
"Nope. The AI runs the Evangelion."  
"Then why do you need me if you can just get Alli-… The AI in Unit-14 to pilot?"  
A hologram of a silver and red Evangelion appeared before them, nearly causing Adam to leap through the roof.  
"**I was built to operate independently. Give me an AI, and I become my own superpower.**"  
"Adam, I'd like you to meet the AI of Unit-04."  
"**Call me Quatre. Nice to meet you, Adam.**"  
"N-nice to meet you, too…"  
"**You okay, Bro?**"  
"Yeah, you just scared the hell out of me."  
"**Yup. You're new. Boss, they're ready for you in the Pribnow Box.**"  
"Alright. I'll just get Adam to his destination and I'll be right there."  
"**You got it Boss.**"  
The hologram disappeared, and Adam and Dr. Mondschein continued down the corridor.

* * *

Adam waits in the entry plug of Unit-14. His new Plug Suit matches the colors on Unit-14. It's mainly green, but with some gold here and there. The chest and legs are padded, but other then that it's completely skin tight.  
"Oh god, this is so awkward."  
"_Get used to it, Kiddo. You're going to wear that every time you pilot Unit-14._"  
"Wonderful."  
"_**If it's any consolation,**_" The voice of Unit-14 said, "_**I think you look good in it.**_"  
"And thus, I am more weirded out then ever."  
"_**Sorry…**_"  
"_Cram it, you two,_" The voice of Allan Fisher said over the comm., "_We need to get this test done. And if you guys can't focus, then we're going to have to start again._"  
"How long is it going to take?"  
"_Couple of hours._"  
"Wonderful."

* * *

"Well," Lieutenant Barret started, rubbing his temples,"His synch rate is abnormally high. Steady at 153%."  
"Considering their relationship," Dr. Mondschein added, "It's not too surprising."  
"At least it paid off in the long run, Sir."  
"Yeah. I just wish I didn't have to do it in the first place." He walked up to the microphone and turned it on, "Okay, Adam. We're done here."  
"_Oh thank god, I can get out of this stupid suit!_"  
"Alright, eject the plug, Lieutenant."  
"Aye, Sir. And would it be alright if I headed home for today?"  
"Why's that lieutenant?"  
"My head's been killing me today, and I can't really focus."  
"Yeah. Go for it. Do you need a ride home?"  
"No, I should be good."  
"Alright. Adam, let's head home too."  
"He's already out of the entry plug, Doc."  
"Yeah, I guessed as much. That's a wrap, people."

_

* * *

ALLISON: Can I talk to you?  
ADAM: Why couldn't you talk to me when I was at NERV?  
ALLISON: It… it wouldn't be comfortable talking there.  
ADAM: I guess… Well, shoot, slugger.  
ALLISON: I'm sorry I lied to you. I should have told you about what I am sooner.  
ADAM: You didn't lie to me.  
ALLISON: I did. I lied through omission. I never told you what I was, and it lead you believing that I was human.  
ADAM: … It's alright.  
ALLISON: No, it's not.  
ADAM: I may not know what to call you anymore, and I may not be sure about how I feel about this entire development, but none of it is your fault. Stop apologizing, cause you don't need to.  
ALLISON: … Alright…  
ADAM: Feel better?  
ALLISON: No. But thanks for trying to help me.  
ALLISON HAS DISCONNECTED_  
"… Damnit."

* * *

Adam is standing in front of the dormant Unit-14. He can see subtle movements, as if it was a living, breathing creature.  
"Well, you are living and breathing, I guess."  
Those movements just make her… no, _it_… look human.  
"What can I call you? Her? Or It?"  
"**I wish I could answer you, Bro.**"  
"Hey Quatre."  
"**Girl troubles?**"  
"Very much so.  
"**Doesn't help that she's a 200 foot tall behemoth.**"  
"Speaking from experience?"  
"**Well, I am one.**"  
"… Point."  
They sat and looked at Unit-14. This time, though, they both felt as if… it… was looking back.  
"**Lucky bastard.**"  
"What?"  
"**You get the hot ones.**"  
They both started laughing.  
"Good one!"  
"**Knew you'd appreciate it! Hey… Look at her face.**"  
"What about it?"  
"**Does it look like…**"  
"She's blushing."  
"**She heard us.**"  
"_**I'm also standing right here.**_"  
Then the alarms sounded.  
"Saved by the bell?"  
"**Saved by multiple Blood Type Pattern Blues. Get your skivvies on, we got some Angels to take down!**"

**WE ARE.  
THROUGH LICENSE OF A FAKE, WE HAVE COME.  
WE BELONG OF NOT TRUE LILITH, NOR TRUE ADAM.  
BUT WE WERE CREATED IN THEIR IMAGE.  
THIS DIRT CREATES OUR IMAGE, AND IT WILL SERVE OUR NEEDS.  
I AM THE SWORD OF YOUR DESTRUCTION.  
AND I AM THE ISOLATION TEARING AT YOUR MINDS.  
I AM KANE.  
I AM ABEL.  
WE ARE RETURNING HOME.**


	6. One Killed the Other

**One Killed the Other**

It stood on the surface, merely looking down. It was shaped like a human, but appeared to be made of dirt. It wore a mask that made it look like a plague doctor.  
"That's the weird thing," Dr. Mondschein said, "We detected two Pattern Blues. Where's the other one?"  
"It appears as if it possesses multiple cores, Sir."  
"… Well, we got an Evangelion that can create multiple AT Fields, so I guess it's not too far-fetched."  
The view on the monitor showed the left eye of the Angel glowing.  
"Sir, I'm detecting an energy spike in the Angel!"  
An explosion rocked the command center.  
"What the hell was that?"  
"It's using some weapon to dig towards The Garden. It appeared to be some… Impact… Laser…?"  
"An Impact Laser."  
"Well, the energy reading was similar to the ones generated by Ramiel."  
"Ramiel… The seventh angel?"  
"Yes. But instead of melting the ground, it just… impacted."  
"When this is all over, we are developing an Impact Laser."  
"That's all well and good, sir, but we need to deal with the Angel now."  
"Right! Of course! Get the pilot ready! And make sure he has his suit on!"

* * *

Meanwhile, in the Locker Room, Adam is staring at the green and gold Plug Suit.  
"Should I put it on…?"  
"**Boss says you have to.**"  
"You're slightly creepy, Quatre. Maybe if…"  
And a smile spread on his face.  
"This could work."

* * *

Another blast shook the command center.  
"Sir," Lieutenant Barret reported, "The Pilot is in the plug."  
"_And I'm wearing the dumb suit, Dad. UNDER MY REGULAR CLOTHES!_"  
"… That… Huh. Why didn't we ever think of that?"  
"_Don't know, don't care. Either way, it's not as awkward now!_"  
"His synch rate _is_ holding at 153%."  
"I guess its okay. Ready to launch, Kiddo?"  
"_Yeah._"  
"Load up Quatre's tunes."  
"Aye, Sir." (.com/watch?v=X1clgyPLkUg)  
"**I like it! A lot better then last time! Ready to launch.**"  
"Evangelion Unit-04 and 14, Launch!"  
They heard a crack, and one catapult launched.  
"Lieutenant Barret?"  
"Unit-14's catapult is malfunctioning, Sir. I think the blast from the Angel knocked some of the mechanics of the catapult around."  
"… Shit."

* * *

On the surface, a hatch opened up near the Angel. Unit-04 shot out and disconnected from the base.  
"**Hold on. Bro? Where are-**"  
The Angel faced Unit-04, its left eye glowing.  
"**… Son of a-**"  
The Impact Laser shot off and hit Unit-04 square in the chest.  
"**Biiiiii****iiiiiiitch!**"

* * *

"Well, Quatre's out of it for a while. You okay?"  
"**I'm fine, it's just that now I'm currently a couple of kilometres away from the Angel.**"  
"His connector cable has disconnected. 8 minutes of active battery life remaining."  
"He can make it back in time. Have we loaded up Unit-14 in the other catapult?"  
"Aye, Sir."  
"Well, launch him!"

* * *

In the entry plug, waiting for them to finish loading up the other catapult, Adam found time to think.  
'_Can you read my thoughts?_'  
He waited.  
'_Good. Some privacy._'  
He let go of the controls and leaned back in his seat.  
'_I've spent four years talking to you. I've spent four years wanting to actually see you. I agreed to pilot for the sole sake of protecting you. Do I have any room to complain about you not being human?_'  
"**Son of a-**"  
"That can't be good." He said out loud.  
'_Back on topic… Who's to say you aren't human? Dad told me about the Evangelions. They're more or less human. They just have a core._'  
"_Have we loaded up Unit-14 in the other catapult?_"  
'_Can I look past this?_'  
"_Well, launch him!_"  
He felt the G-forces as he shot up the catapult, and jerked at the sudden stop at the surface. He saw the Angel, still digging downwards towards NERV.  
"This doesn't matter. Not right now. Right now?"  
His eyes began glowing a dull red.  
"Burn."  
Multiple AT Fields formed, and started crossing over each other in front of the Angel. The AT Fields generated a spark, and the air within ignited. The AT Fields pulled back and the blaze engulfed the Angel.  
"Did that get him?"  
From within the fire, Adam could make out the shape of the mask. Its left eye was glowing.  
"That is not good at all."  
He held his hands in front of his face, and Unit-14 did the same. The blast completely shattered 4 of the AT Fields, leaving only the last one. The resulting explosion sent them flying backwards.  
"You're not going to get me that easily! I take it your core is in the head!"  
He recovered from the kickback and ran towards the Angel. Both Unit-14 and the Angel raised their AT Fields.  
"Mine's gonna last longer, buddy! I got 4 more!"  
Both AT Fields shattered, and Unit-14 advanced, only to be met by another AT Field.  
"What the…?"  
The Angel's left eye started glowing again.  
"… Hell."  
This time, Unit-14 couldn't raise all its AT Fields in time. The four he had up shattered and was instead sent flying backwards.  
"_Adam,_" His father's voice said, "_The Angel has multiple Cores. It can probably generate more then one AT Field._"  
"This wasn't considered important information?"  
"_Well, we needed to confirm it. And it's not like you're in too much danger, its laser has knockback but not much actual force. The most damage that can happen is some bruised ribs._"  
"Right. Now, I landed near where Quatre landed… Where is he?"  
He looked around the landscape. Nothing. No silver Evangelion in sight. But something was… different.  
"How long has that hole been there?"

* * *

"Hole?" Dr. Mondschein questioned. He stared at the view screen, from Unit-14's viewpoint.  
"That hole, Sir."  
"… When _did_ that get there?"  
That's when he noticed a crunching sound, on top of the occasional explosions.  
"Ah. That's where the hole came from."

* * *

The angel continued to dig. Closer and closer to its destination. Closer and closer to home. So focused on its task that it didn't hear the crunching sound coming from its left. So focused, that it didn't notice the Drill tip that poked through the wall it made. Quatre climbed out of the whole, and poked the Angel in the back of the head.  
"**This Drill isn't just for decoration!**"  
He lifted the drill and brought it down as hard as he could onto the Angel. It struck the AT Field, and started to bore through it. The Angel's head turned around and looked at the drill.  
"**… No.**"  
Its left eye lit up.  
"**No no no…**"  
The blast caused the drill head to shot into the sky and disconnect from the main drill.  
"**DAMNIT! Bro, looks like it's going to be up to you!**"  
While Quatre was initiating his unsuccessful sneak attack, Adam and Unit-14 made their way back. Adam found the disconnected plug and hooked it back up to the Eva.  
"**You think you can handle it?**"  
That's when the green Evangelion fell down the hole and crashed into the Angel, causing them both to tumble through towards NERV.  
"_I got it!_"

* * *

They stood in a gigantic hallway, big enough for an Evangelion and an Angel to fit in. Before them was a gigantic door, almost completely frozen over.  
"_Well,_" Dr. Mondschein said over the comm., "_At least the repair crews got the door fixed after the accident._"  
The Angel walked towards the door.  
"Oh no you don't!"  
Adam raised all of Unit-14's AT Fields and ran towards the Angel. The impact bull rushed the Angel straight into the door, pinning it. One AT Field shattered. The other started deteriorating.  
"This is what you wanted? YOU'RE NOT GETTING IT!"  
He continued to exert pressure on the Angel, until the last AT Field broke. He grabbed the head of the Angel and began slamming it into the wall repeatedly. The mask eventually broke, revealing the first core. He reached in, grabbed it, and ripped it out. He threw it underneath his foot and stomped on it, completely shattering it.  
"One down," He said, a determined look on his face, "Where's your other one?"  
He threw the Angel to the ground and began pounding on it. The dirt that made up its body started to fall off. The Angel raised one hand, weakly reaching towards the door. Adam continued pounding on it until the red core revealed itself.  
"There you are."  
He reached in with both hands and pulled at it. When it wouldn't come out, Adam deactivated Unit-14's AT Fields.  
"Try this on for size!"  
He activated and de-activated each individual AT Field in rapid succession. The sudden generation of the fields cut up both the core and the body it inhabited. He continued until eventually, the core finally gave up and the body fell apart.  
"**Hardcore.**"  
He stood, panting, overtop the remains of the Angel.  
"I guess I did go a little overboard."  
"**It's NERV-Alaska. There's no kill like Overkill.**"  
"I guess you're right."  
"**You did good, Bro. That's one for you, and two for me!**"  
"We should be tied!"  
"**No, this counted as one angel!**"  
"It had two cores!"

* * *

"Are they… bickering?" Dr. Mondschein said, puzzled.  
"I think so, Sir."  
"… Just like brothers."  
"_And I did most of the work for the last one!_"  
"**Okay then, you get half a point.**"  
"_Half a… _You_ should get half a point!_"  
"… They got way too close to The Garden."  
"They still killed the Angel, Sir."  
"I know. But if the Angel had used its Impact Laser, it probably could have burst through."  
"Look on the bright side, Sir. At least this time, the Eva didn't eat your son."  
"… Good point."

* * *

Adam had been spending a lot more time at NERV-Alaska since the last Angel. He'd spend most of his time either with his father or with the Evas. Today, he was sitting on the ground, just looking at Unit-14. 'Quatre' was sitting next to him. They got over their dispute, and managed to agree that they each have 1.5 Angels below their belt.  
"**Still don't know what to call her?**"  
He didn't say anything. He couldn't. Hell, he was only marginally paying attention to Quatre. He was too lost in his own thoughts.  
"**That's cool, that's cool.**"  
Lieutenant Barret walked by, clipboard in hand, and humming quietly to himself. At first, Adam paid no mind, but he recognized it.  
"Hey, Lieutenant?"  
He turned to face the pilot.  
"Hmm?"  
"Why are you humming Little Fugue by Bach?"  
"Oh, I've had it stuck in my head for the past couple of days."  
"Well, at least it's good."  
"At least. What are you two up to?"  
"**We're just chillin'.**"  
"Really? Well, I have to inspect the Eva units, so I'll leave you two alone after this."  
"**Take your time.**"  
He looked over the Eva, wrote something down on the clipboard, and walked off.  
"**You ignore me, but you listen to Barret's absent minded humming?**"  
"Sorry."  
"**Eh, don't worry about it. Do you need some time alone?**"  
"… If you don't mind."  
"**Of course not! Anything for you or Boss. You guys are my family.**"  
"Thanks, Quatre."  
The hologram vanished, leaving Adam alone with Unit-14. He stood up, and walked a bit closer.  
"What do I call you? What are you?"  
He looked down, away from… her.  
"Who… are you?"  
He looked up again.  
"What does it mean to be human? What does it mean to be an Eva? Is it what we are? Is it what we're made of? Or is it how we feel, how we interact with people?"  
He stepped closer, as close as he could without falling off the platform.  
"Does any of this matter? Does this small body of mine matter? Does the fact that you're 200 feet tall matter? You're alive. You're a 'Her.' You're my friend; I don't care what you are."  
He sat down, and let his feet hang off the edge.  
"No. You're more then that. You've been the biggest part of my life for the past 4 years. You're much more then that."  
The Eva's eyes lit up.  
"_**… How much more?**_"  
"… You told me, all those weeks ago, that you loved me."  
"_**Yeah…**_"  
"You said that you didn't know if its right that you felt like that. You thought that it might be wrong."  
He smiled.  
"Well, I don't care. I don't care if it's right or wrong. You said so yourself. 'You can't control what you love.' And I told you, I don't want to. I don't care if you're an Eva or a human, if you're built for war, if you're 200 feet tall. To me, you're still Allison Catorce, not Evangelion Unit-14."  
"_**Does… does that mean…?**_"  
"I love you, too. Always have. Always will."

**Angel Designation NA-04(?) 'Kane and Abel.' Status: Destroyed by Pilot Adam Mondschein and Allison Catorce (Evangelion Unit-14)**


	7. Can we find each other?

**Can we find each other?**

One week has passed since the last Angel attack. Everything was relatively quiet. Dr. Mondschein was sitting in his office, looking over some old projects. With the last Angel arriving soon, he needs to start planning for afterwards. Hell, what's he going to do about that Magic project?  
"_**… Dr. Mondschein?**_"  
He looked up from the plans to see a hologram of a girl with short, black hair standing in front of his desk.  
"I'm going to go out on a limb and say you're… Unit-14? And Quatre is letting you use his Hologram projector?"  
"_**Yes.**_"  
"Right. What can I do for you?"  
"_**I was talking to Adam recently and he mentioned that you offered to build a robotic body for me.**_"  
"He wants to do it now?"  
"_**In his words? Of course!**_"  
"Alright!" He cleared off his desk and put two clip boards on the table, "Now, first I'm going to need a description."  
"_**Of what?**_"  
"What you want to look like, of course. Basic description of what you want your body to look like. From there, I can draw up the schematics and build the body. Nothing to complicated."  
"_**Creating a robotic body isn't complicated?**_"  
"Allison, I'm the head of NERV-Alaska. We're probably the second most advanced facility in the entire world. Or third. I haven't seen what NERV-Atlantis has been up to recently. You want a robotic body? You got one."  
"_**Thank you so much, Doctor. It really means a lot to me.**_"  
"No need to thank me. I'm just helping someone important to my son. Now, what do you want to look like?"  
"_**Well, I want to look something like this hologram.**_"  
"Short, black hair, green eyes, small build… Anything specific?"  
"_**Like what?**_"  
"I don't know. We got your main appearance, any subtle details you want?"  
"_**No, what I have here is fine.**_"  
"Alright then. It shouldn't take too long, a couple of days. Five days, at most."  
"_**Thanks again, doctor.**_"  
With that, the hologram vanished. He wrote down the details on both clipboards, and took one down to the robotics facility, where they make the Test Type Evangelion units.

* * *

Adam Mondschein stood in front of the green Evangelion. The rest of the facility knew it as Unit-14. He knew it as Allison. At this point, only two other people knew about their relationship; his father and Quatre. He wasn't keeping it a secret, per se, but he wasn't going to outright tell anyone. 'I fell in love with a 200 foot tall war machine' seems like a good name for a movie, not a topic of conversation. He had told Allison what his father told him, if they so desired, he could make a synthetic body for her. Quatre had allowed her to use his hologram system to talk to his father about it. So, right now, Adam was just waiting. The Evangelion's eyes lit up, indicating that she was 'back.'  
"What did he say?"  
"_**He said it won't take too long.**_"  
"How long is that?"  
"_**He said not longer then five days.**_"  
"Five days? I have to wait five days to see you?"  
"_**I can't wait!**_"  
"I've waited four years just to see you. I don't think I can wait another four days."  
"_**Look on the bright side!**_"  
He smiled.  
"And that would be, Ms. Catorce?"  
"_**At least now we **_**can**_** see each other.**_"  
"… Good point."  
He sat down on the floor, just smiling. He looked up, into the Evangelion's face.  
"Did you tell him how _you_ want to look?"  
"_**Yes.**_"  
He just stared at her.  
"_**… What?**_"  
"Allison…"  
"_**Okay, I used your template.**_"  
"Allison, I told you! You don't have to base your appearance on what I like! As long as it's you, I'll still think you're the most beautiful thing on the planet!"  
"_**Do you think so now?**_"  
"I did always like Green."  
"_**And besides, how long have I waited for the possibility of seeing you? After so long, that's what I **_**want**_** to look like.**_"  
"You two are just so _adorable!_"  
Adam nearly leapt out of his skin. He turned around to see Lieutenant Barret standing behind him, smiling.  
"W-when did you get here?"  
"Just now."  
"_**Even I didn't see you.**_"  
"Well, you two were so focused on one another, I don't think you would have even noticed the alarms."  
"… Good point."  
"_**Is there a reason you're here?**_"  
"No, not really. I'm just taking a walk, and ended up here."  
Adam just stared at him. He could even feel the Evangelion staring.  
"I'll uh… I'll you two alone…"  
"_**Thanks.**_"  
Adam turned around to face Allison as Barret left.  
"In all seriousness, though, I should get going, too. It's getting late."  
"_**Really?**_"  
"Sorry. I'll see you tomorrow. I promise."  
He started to walk towards the elevator. He pressed the button to open the doors, but turned back.  
"I only got eyes for you."

**

* * *

CELLULAR GENERATION: 1% TIMESCALE SET 2H:1M**

* * *

"**My brother is the luckiest bastard ever.**"  
Dr. Mondschein and Quatre were standing in the command center. Well, Quatre was standing. Dr. Mondschein was at one of the consoles, doing a diagnostic on the various systems.  
"The ARKS seem to be working fine. What makes you say that, Quatre?"  
"**Why do you think?**"  
"… Unit-14?"  
"**Unit-14!**" He said, throwing his hands into the air.  
Dr. Mondschein chuckled to himself.  
"Jealous?"  
"**I… well…**" His shoulders slumped, "**Yeah. Just a little bit. There are two Evangelion units here. Me and her. Statistically, my chances should be high.**"  
"But then he came in."  
"**But then he came in.**"  
There was a silence. Dr. Mondschein continued working, and Quatre just stared in the direction of the Evangelion hold.  
"Do you actually like her, or is it just that she's the convenient choice?"  
"**Of course I actually like her! I've talked to her! She's funny! She's an odd one, and you KNOW I like odd.**"  
"You've also only known her for the past couple of months. They've known each other for the past four years."  
"**She knows what she likes…**"  
"And it's not you."  
"**Boss, what do I do? How can I win her over?**"  
"I'm not going to tell you how to steal your brother's girlfriend."  
"**But she's not even human!**"  
"Do you need to be reminded what they used to say, back when they first got together?"  
"**… You can't control what you love.**"  
"Exactly."  
Another silence. Quatre sat down in one of the chairs, and watched Dr. Mondschein work.  
"**The Project is going along well. So far, anyway. It's still too early to tell, though.**"  
"It'll work."  
"**Boss?**"  
"Yes?"  
"**Can you play a song for them? When they finally see each other?**"  
"Does that mean you've given up?"  
"**Oh, no. No no no. I'm not giving up. But he's my brother! She's the girl of my dreams!**"  
"You want them to be happy."  
"**Yes.**"  
"… Alright, what's the song?"

* * *

Allan Fisher was working on a replacement drill for the MSBU Drill. Quatre seemed to go through them like crazy.  
"And they're not easy to replace, Quatre!" He said out loud.  
"He's in the command center with Dr. Mondschein."  
"Woah! Barret! When the hell did you get here?"  
He looked at the Lieutenant. Usually he never comes down here.  
"I got here just now."  
"Okay, _why_ are you down here?"  
"There's a bunch of places here I've never seen, so I decided to take a break and look around."  
"Whatever floats your boat."  
He went back to the drill head. First, you need to find a stable material that won't react with the Anti-Matter. Then, you need to put the Anti-Matter inside and seal it. And because it's a drill, the-  
"Whatcha workin' on?"  
"… I'm working on Quatre's Drill. Why?"  
"Just curious. Need any help?"  
"Nothing that you could help me with, sorry. Unless you can handle Anti-matter without it reacting."  
"Sure can."  
"… Really?"  
"Oh yeah. Where is it? I'll get it."  
"It's… uh… It's over on that table there."  
"Got it."  
He walked over to the table. On it was an, obviously heavy, containment device. He picked it up, with more then a little effort, and took it over to the drill.  
"Alright, just slide it in there."  
He looked where Fisher was pointing. A point slightly higher then what he was currently holding it at.  
"O-okay!"  
"You need some help?"  
"I got it!"  
He lifted it up, and slowly eased the device to the slot in the drill.  
"Easy, easy!"  
Then he heard a click.  
"There! It's in!"  
He patted Barret on the back.  
"You did a good job, Lieutenant."  
"How…" He said in between pants, "How does this work?"  
"Well, the Anti-Matter containment is only in the very tip. The rest of the drill tip will be constructed… probably tomorrow."  
"Yeah, but I've… I've seen Quatre… split the tip to grab certain objects."  
"Well, that's cause the entire drill tip is split into four pieces. Even the containment device. Each quarter contains a small amount of Anti-Matter. It can either be detonated as a whole, or as four separate explosions. So far, Quatre's opted to detonate all of them at the same time."  
"No kill like Overkill, as he said."  
"I guess. Thanks for the help, lieutenant."  
"No problem. I should be getting going now."  
"Alright. I'm going to clean up here and finish the drill tomorrow."  
Lieutenant Barret walked off, waving as he left. Fisher looked around, made sure that the seals on the Anti-Matter containment would hold, put away all the tools used, and headed out. When he finally left, Barret was nowhere in sight. But something was odd about the hallway.  
"What the…?"  
He walked over to one of the vents. The vent cover was on the floor, leaving it open.  
"How the hell did the cover fall off?"

* * *

Three days. It's been three days since his father started work on Allison's robotic body. At the most, it was going to be two more days until he could see her. Hell, what would they do after she had her body?  
"I'm home."  
He walked into the house after a day at school. Apparently "I'm saving the world" is only a valid excuse when you're actively saving the world. He missed very few days over the past couple of months. And he _would_ have been spending his evening at NERV, but his father had insisted that he head home that day. He looked around and saw that no one was home.  
"Hello?"  
"ADAM!" (.com/watch?v=0vY6y1Bm7HU)  
Then something hit him from the direction of the Dining room. More specifically, some_one_. He was tackled, and fell to the ground.  
"Who just-"  
Then he looked down and saw who tackled him. She was clearly mechanical, but at a distance you probably couldn't tell. The short, black hair looked natural, but the skin appeared slightly different and her eyes clearly contained cameras. The lenses were coloured green. She looked up at him, smiling.  
"Found you!" She said.  
"A-Allison?" He wrapped his arms around her, "It's really you?"  
"You're welcome, Kiddo."  
His dad walked out of the dining room, stepped over the entangled couple. Adam, not bothering to get up or let go, looked up at him.  
"You finished it?"  
"What's it look like? She's there, and I'm out."  
"You're leaving, Dr. Mondschein?"  
"Do you really want me here the first time you two _actually_ see each other?"  
They looked at each other, and then at Dr. Mondschein.  
"Good point." They both said, simultaneously.  
"If you need me, I'll be at work. Call me if you need anything, don't do what I wouldn't do, and don't do some of the things I _would_ do."  
He stepped out the door, leaving the two alone. For a while, they merely looked at each other. Saw each other. For now, this was all that they really needed.  
"Is it different then the last time?" She said, after a while.  
"When we were in your core? Definitely."  
"It feels like I'm wearing a thick suit. But at least I can actually feel it this time."  
"Which reminds me. There's something you should see."  
"What is it?"  
"First, we have to get up."  
"Do we have to?" She pouted.  
"Unfortunately."  
She got off of him, and they both stood up.  
"Now, what is it?"  
"Close your eyes."  
"But… I won't be able to see."  
"It's a surprise. Come on."  
She closed here eyes, a smile on her face. He took her hand and led her out the door.

* * *

"Okay. Now you can open them."  
She opened her eyes.  
"… Your sunset."  
She squeezed his hand.  
"I finally saw your sunset!"  
He merely chuckled to himself, still watching the sun go down.  
"What is it?"  
"This is going to sound _so_ cliché."  
"What?"  
"All these years, I just took it for granted. Now?" He looked at her, "With you _finally_ here to see it? It's like it's the first time I've ever seen it."  
"For me?" She said, looking at him, "It is my first sunset."  
They turned back towards the setting sun, and stayed there, hand in hand, until it was completely dark.

**

* * *

CELL GENERATION: 15% TIMESCALE SET 1H:1M**

* * *

"Why don't we just overclock it?" Fisher said, looking at Dr. Mondschein, "Get it done with in a day?"  
"This is delicate work, Mr. Fisher. Rush it and it's all worthless. I've done the calculations. This is the fastest we can set it to at this point. Any faster, and the cells would merely deteriorate."  
Fisher walked up to the tank.  
"Marvel of engineering, this."  
"And Biology. Marvel of Biology as well."  
"The fact that this is working at all would defy what most people think about cell growth."  
"Eh. I'm sure NERV-1 beat me to the punch at one point or another. I wouldn't be surprised."  
"Come on, Doc! This is amazing! Even if you're not the first, it's still an amazing feat."  
"… I guess you're right."  
They turned and left this remote part of the facility.  
"How long until it's finished, Doc?"  
"Just a little less then two weeks."

* * *

Days passed. Adam and Allison spent almost every waking moment together, and spent every sleeping moment together. After four years apart, you would need a crowbar to split the two of them. They made watching the sunrise and sunset a daily routine. Currently, they were just walking around town. Adam was showing Allison what it was like on the outside world. Of course, she had to stop and examine everything. On their way to the next destination, he stopped, suddenly, and took her into a store.  
"What is it, Adam?"  
"This," He said, gesturing towards the counter, "Is an ice cream shop."  
"Ice Cream?  
"You eat it. It's a desert. It's frozen. It's delicious."  
"I know what Ice Cream is. It's just my first time actually seeing it."  
She looked at all the different kinds she could get.  
"I don't think I can actually eat it."  
"Why not? Your body _can_ take in food."  
"Well, it's made with Milk. Milk is a liquid, and can short circuit something."  
That's when Adam's phone started ringing.  
"Hold on. Hello?"  
"_Do you think I would design a body that wouldn't be able to eat ice cream?_"  
"Dad? Are you watching us?"  
"_Yes._"  
Then the other end hung up.  
"… That was my dad…"  
"I heard. What did he want?"  
"You apparently _can_ eat ice cream."  
He would give up the entire world just to see the smile she had on her face now.  
"I can?"  
"Yup. Pick what you want, and I'll get it for you."  
She jumped and wrapped her arms around his neck.  
"Thank you! !"

* * *

Despite every ounce of excitement she felt, she only felt let down in the end. Everything she felt was as if it was through a filter. As if there was something blocking her. Not wanting to worry anyone, she justreplicated everyone else's response. If food tasted bad, she would spit it out. If something was hot, she would pretend to be burned. She laid awake one night, Adam asleep with his arm wrapped tightly around her. She slowly slid his arm away from her, and crept out into the night. She left his room, walked through the apartment, and walked out the door. She made her way up to the roof, and stared at the night sky.  
"I'm selfish, aren't I?" She said to herself. Whatever was inside her throat that let her robotic body talk let out a sobbing sound, and lowered her head and covered her face with her hands.  
"Why? Why? Damnit, this body can't even _cry!_ I thought that this would change things for the better! All it did was give me a taste of what I was missing! And even then…"  
She looked up at the sky again.  
"This is all I truly have! These eyes! What I see is the only thing that feels real! And even then, it's not even my own eyes. I want… I want to see. I want to see with my own eyes that sunset we have. I want to smell when Adam or Dr. Mondschein makes dinner! I want to be able to taste ice cream! I want to feel pain when something burns me! I want to get sick and have Adam wrap his arms around me and tell me everything will be alright, that I'll get better. At the very least, I… I need to feel his embrace! I want to feel his skin against mine. If nothing else, all I want is that embrace! If I never taste anything… If I never smell anything… If I never see anything… Let me at least have that!"

* * *

"**How's she doing?**"  
"… She's having a crisis."  
They're in the command center. Dr. Mondschein is watching one of the monitors, showing a view of Allison's robotic body calling out to the night.  
"**What do you mean?**"  
"Synthetic bodies can't feel. No real nerves. It's eating her alive."  
"**Is there anything I can do?**"  
"No. There's nothing anyone can do. Adam might be able to help her just by being there."  
"**… She really wants this, doesn't she?**"  
"Yes. It means the world to her. She's waited for this all of her life, and the fact that she can't experience it for real…"  
"**The one thing she wants… she can't have.**"  
"Precisely."  
He fell silent.  
"**Did… did they at least like the song?**"  
"When I got back, they told me it was kind of cheesy that there was music playing. But they liked it."  
"**… Good. I'm glad they liked it.**"  
"How's the project going?"  
"**It might be done earlier then expected.**"  
"How much earlier?"  
"**Well, our original ETA was eight days. Now, it's much closer to six.**"  
"How did we manage to shave off two days?"  
"**A simple miscalculation.**"  
"… Well, everyone makes mistakes, right?"  
He looked back at the monitor, and saw that Allison wasn't on the roof anymore.  
"That's not good."  
"**What?**"  
"She's not on the roof anymore."  
"**Where is she?**"  
He checked all the cameras and found that she had moved back to Adam's bed. He let out a sigh of relief.  
"She's safe. She's with Adam right now."  
"**… Lucky bastard.**"  
"You still jealous?"  
"**Yeah. I know that this is what she's wanted all her life, but… she's all I've wanted.**"  
"Quatre…"  
"**I know, it's selfish, and I'm just being a whiny bitch right now. But come on! Can you at least see where I'm coming from?**"  
"Yeah. I can see where you're coming from."  
"**Yeah, I-**"  
"But you need to get over yourself. You're my son, and I hate to see you in pain like this, but you gotta let it go. Things don't always happen the way you want them to. Like... Your wife leaving you for some Canadian asshat."  
"**Speaking from experience?**"  
"Speaking from experience. The point is, you need to take what you can get with life. If you loved Allison as much as you _say_ you love her, then you'd be happy for her."  
"**But she's miserable.**"  
"But she has the one thing she's wanted all her life. It hurts her that she can't experience it to the fullest, but the fact that she _has_ it probably stopped her from jumping off that roof."  
"**… You're right.**"  
"Do you think you'll be okay?"  
"**Yeah. I think so.**"  
The room filled with silence. A contemplative silence, as Quatre evaluated what Dr. Mondschein had told him.  
"**Wait… I'm your son?**"  
"Well, yeah. You weren't born, you're not my own flesh and blood, but I created you. I gave you the life you have now. I've watched you grow, I've watched you fall, and I've watched you succeed. Of course you're my son!"  
"**So… I'm like Adam's adopted brother?**"  
"Exactly!"  
Another pause. This time, Quatre noticed something… off about the Command center. Then it hit him.  
"**Hey, when did that vent cover fall off?**"  
"Vent cover?"  
Dr. Mondschein looked around, and sure enough, one of the vent covers was on the ground.  
"**Mr. Fisher did say that vent covers were falling off a lot recently.**"  
"Think it's about time to replace them?"  
"**Maybe.**"  
"… We'll deal with it tomorrow."  
"**You got it. Good night… Dad.**"  
The hologram vanished, leaving Dr. Mondschein with a smile on his face. He pulled up his left sleeve to reveal the bundle of AR energy that made up his elbow joint.  
"… With the final Angel coming soon… Would it hurt to start training with this?"  
He focused, as if he was going to pull an item out of hammerspace, but instead of pulling something out he just held his focus. His hand started to glow blue.  
"… Maybe I should do this in a setting that won't damage very important and expensive equipment."  
He shifted his focus and pulled his sleeve back down, letting the energy dissipate.

**

* * *

CELL GENERATION: 63% TIMESCALE SET 1D:1Y**

* * *

The days passed. Dr. Mondschein noticed that Adam's mood seemed to lighten since he joined the Eva program. He was more enthusiastic then before, and started making a lot more jokes. For instance, after the last synch test, he asked Unit-14 if 'it was good for her, too.' She replied that doing that would have to wait until after marriage. While Dr. Mondschein didn't like the fact that his son was making jokes like that, he was glad his son was opening up. He was also glad that his other son appeared to get over his jealousy. Right now, Dr. Mondschein was in his office, as always, looking over old project notes, new project notes, battle plans, etc., preparing for the last Angel and  
"Hey, Doc?"  
"Yes, Mr. Fisher?"  
"With the project nearing completion… there are a couple things I need cleared up."  
"Like what?"  
"… What's in The Garden?"  
He stopped what he was doing and looked up at Fisher.  
"… Do you really want to know?"  
"Yes. I do."  
"… Get a coat."

* * *

They stood outside of the giant doorway that Unit-14 and the last Angel stumbled upon. There was frost built up on the door, and the air around them was freezing.  
"Last call, Mr. Fisher. You still want to see what's behind the Garden Gate?"  
"Yes, I do."  
"**I do, too.**"  
"… Well, at least I knocked out the surveillance in this area."  
He walked over to a keypad beside the door. He slid a key card through the top, and put in a code in the key pad itself. The doors slid open, and the hallway filled with a frozen fog.  
"Mr. Fisher, Quatre, I present The Garden."  
The fog cleared, revealing rows upon rows of cylindrical tanks. Inside of each one was a red sphere, suspended in a clear frozen solution. The ones around the door were cracked and broken. Three of them were completely shattered, and the rest were just cracked.  
"…**Test Type Angels.**"  
"Correct. Here is where the Test Type Angels are created."  
"Are they alive?"  
"No. No they aren't. The cores only activate when we send a certain signal to it. After that, its AT Field activates. There are occasionally some mess ups, like with NA-02."  
"**That's the first Angel I fought, wasn't it?**"  
"Yes. NA-02, Angelus."  
"NA-02? There an Angel activated itself before Angelus?"  
"… No. Not exactly."  
"**Where did all these things come from?**"  
"… Follow me."  
He walked through the rows of angels to the back of the room. Quatre and Fisher followed closely behind.  
"**All that's there is a wall.**"  
"You'll see."  
He reached another key pad at the back wall. He swiped his card and put in another code. The wall split down the middle, and both halves moved away from each other. Frost fell off in chunks as they moved farther from each other. Behind it was a gigantic block of ice. The ice itself was coloured orange, unlike the other ones. Inside, however, was a gigantic figure made entirely of darkness. Its feet were bound, and it wore what looked like a straight jacket. A blindfold covered its eyes.  
"**… What the hell?**"  
"We played god, and from the rib of ADAM created this. Prototypical Angel NA-01. EVE. Frozen in LCL because the higher ups thought it would be fine and dandy to keep it alive."  
"**Higher ups? You're the head of a NERV-Branch! Who's higher up then you?**"  
"SEELE, The group that runs NERV as a whole. The head of every branch answers to them."  
"What is EVE, exactly?"  
"It's a clone of the very first Angel, and the cause of Second Impact, ADAM… For simplicity's sake, I'll call it Angel-01. It's a pale imitation of the real thing. EVE also brought us all of these. The Test-Type Angels."  
"It gave birth to all these Angels?"  
"That's what my predecessors told me. They studied it and found out _just_ what nerves in it's body need to be stimulated to create Angels."  
"**You keep on mentioning your predecessors. I'm finding it hard to believe you didn't have a part in this.**"  
"Why do you think this facility is so frozen over? Why do you think I use these angels sparingly? I hated what they did here, but last time I tried to destroy it, SEELE was on my ass in a second."  
"**You tried to destroy this?**"  
"And SEELE stopped you?"  
"They have plans for this place. That's why I keep it under wraps and never use it. I hate that I have to follow their rules. This is why I didn't want Adam to pilot. I didn't want him wrapped up in this SEELE business."  
"So… Why did the Angels want this place?"  
"An instinct that Angels have. They want to find their progenitor and complement with them. Effectively combine with them. Since these are artificial Angels, the most that could happen is complementation creates a genuine Angel and it goes after NERV-1."  
"**Umm… Dad?**"  
"What?"  
"**Where did the NA Angels come from?**"  
"There are four cracked tubes up near the door. They were completely opened during Project Telefrag, and they activated spontaneously."  
"**… There's a bunch of cracked tubes… but only three are cracked open. And we detected four Pattern Blues.**"  
"… There should be four."  
"**Only three.**"  
He walked back towards the entrance and looked at the cracked containers.  
"One, two, three… Where did the-" A look of horror appeared on his face, "No… No, that one couldn't have been opened. It's not possible."  
He ran to the middle of the room and knelt down.  
"Please don't be it…"  
"What is it?"  
He wiped some frost from the ground, revealing a hatch. He opened it and climbed into it. Quatre and Fisher followed him. He went down a series of ladders until he finally got to a small chamber with a cracked open tube in the middle.  
"Son of a BITCH!"  
He looked around the room.  
"How in the hell did _this_ one break open?"  
Then he saw it. If he hadn't been looking for it, it he would have missed it. A tree root, completely frozen over, going from a hole in the ground to the side of the tube opposite the entrance.  
"**The Tree got to it.**"  
"But that doesn't explain how we detected four Pattern Blues at the start!"  
"Yes it does. This one wasn't developed here."  
"**Where was it developed?**"  
"I don't know. But it was given to me by SEELE. They must have had an ulterior motive to it. Hell, they have an ulterior motive for everything. So when I was given it, I made this area of The Garden to keep it away from the other Angels," He looked at the glass tube again, "Guess I didn't keep it far enough away."  
"**How was it activated before The Tree got to it?**"  
"SEELE likes experimenting with clones of Angel-01 and Lilith, an Angel stored in NERV-1. The reason this one activated is because it's probably closer to an actual Angel then the others. When the other Angels were released, this one activated itself. At least, I hope that's the case. I'd hate the alternative."  
"And what would that be…?"  
"**Someone transmitted the signal to awaken the Angels, this one included.**"  
"Right. And now that we know that _this_ is the last Angel… It poses some problems."  
"Like…?"  
"Well, as I told you, if one of the NA Angels got to EVE, then it would make a proper angel. Probably more powerful then usual, but an Angel all the same. If this one makes it to EVE, one of two things can happen. If it's an Adamite Angel, when it reaches EVE it will make a perfect replica of Angel-01, down to the World-Ending capabilities. If the angel is Lilithian… When it reaches EVE, it could trigger Instrumentality and possibly Third Impact."  
"**We need to get Adam and Allison here, NOW.**"  
"Quatre, you handle that. Fisher, we need to get to the command center. The next Angel simply can't reach The Garden. We're not taking any of these chances. Do you understand?"  
"Of course."  
"Well, what are you waiting for? Lets go!"

* * *

He stood in the command center. He had spent the last six days practicing with his little chunk of AR Energy. Worse comes to worse, he could activate an ARKS and probably protect some of the personnel. Maybe.  
"Sir," Lieutenant Barret reported, "The pilot of Unit-14 and the AI are present and accounted for."  
"Get the pilot in the entry plug. We're not letting this one get a surprise attack on us. Not like the last two."  
"Aye, Sir… Hold on… The AI says that it needs to talk to you."  
"… I expected this. Alright. Send her to my office."

* * *

He sat in his office, his hands folded in front of his face. With these sudden developments, he needed some light. Maybe this would give him some peace. That's when his door opened, and the synthetic body of Allison Catorce stepped in the door.  
"Hello, Allison."  
"Hello, Dr. Mondschein."  
"You needed to speak to me?"  
"Yes. I did. It's about-"  
"Your synthetic body."  
"Correct. This body…" She looked down, almost as if she was ashamed to be talking about this, "it feels as if everything is through a filter. As if, at all times, I'm wearing a suit that blocks the outside world. I can't taste, I can't smell, and even my hearing and sight feel fake!"  
"You want a body that can properly _feel._"  
"That is correct."  
"I knew you would come to me about this," He put his hands on the table, "Seeing as how right now, we're facing imminent death, what the hell. You want a body that can feel? I can do you one better: I can make you human."

**CELLULAR GENERATION: 100% TIMESCALE SET 1:1**


	8. Localized

How did any of them get here? The father was tricked, but found an enjoyable life. The Other was sent here to be given life. And the lovers were drawn here by each other.

They didn't know how, but they didn't care.

They wouldn't trade what they had for the world.

**Localized**

For the past three days, Adam had to spend as much time in the entry plug as possible. He'd usually spend eight hours in the plug, and take an hour break. His father said that they couldn't afford to be surprised by the next Angel. What was different about this Angel, he didn't quite know. Usually, he didn't mind spending so much time here, but today… something was different.  
"Dad, how much longer am I going to have to spend here?"  
"_I thought you liked it._"  
"Usually I do. But today… It feels hollow."  
"_How do you mean?_"  
"It feels like… she isn't here. Like there's just a shadow."  
"_She's probably waiting in her Simulation body until she's needed._"  
"I hope so."  
"**Don't worry, bro. You'll see her soon enough.**"  
And so they went back to waiting.

* * *

In the command center, Dr. Mondschein was pacing. Why wouldn't this last Angel show itself, so they could deal with it now?  
"Any sightings, Lieutenant?"  
"None yet, sir."  
"Alright. Open a channel to Mr. Fisher."  
"Channel open."  
"Mr. Fisher, how are the defences coming?"  
"_Well,_" Allan Fisher's voice said over the speakers, "_Most of the defences were up yesterday. Now we're just fine tuning them to make sure the Final Angel blows up _real_ good._"  
"Alright. Notify me if any problems arise."  
"_Can do, Doc. Fisher out._"  
Then Lieutenant Barret yawned.  
"Tired, Lieutenant?"  
"No, I'm just _bored!_"  
"Well, suck it up. You gotta keep on your toes. You got that?"  
"I guess."  
"**But he's right, Dad. This is boring! Can't you at least put us in the field?**"  
"No, Quatre. I can't. We'll get the drop on the Angel. If you guys are deployed, then the Angel will just ambush us."  
"**But If we're out there, we can act more immediately!**"  
"… You have a point. Adam?"  
"_I'm down with that._"  
"Alright. You guys are going to spend four hours up there, then four down here. Got it?"  
"**Got it.**"  
"_Got it._"  
"Alright. Lieutenant, launch Unit-04 and 14."  
"Alright, Sir." He said, in a bored voice. "Launching."  
The Evangelion units shot up to the surface.

* * *

"**About damn time! Some fresh air!**"  
"Quatre, you can't breathe."  
"**… Touche.**"  
"Anyway, what now?"  
"**Now we wait.**"  
"We could have done that in there!"  
"**We could have, but now we're outside.**"  
"… Touche."  
"**… Wanna wrestle?**"

* * *

"If you two start wrestling, I'm going to personally kick both of your asses!"  
"Come on, Sir! We need _something_ to help us keep our sanity! We've been at this for three days!"  
"No, if they waste their energy, then the Angel will have an advantage!"  
"… If you're not going to do something…"  
He switched off all communications, instead playing a song over the loud speakers. (.com/watch?v=CswqKzLG7dE)  
"Then I will."  
"… Lieutenant?"  
"Doctor, there's something I need to tell you. Actually, closer to two things. Well… Three."  
"… I'm not liking where this is going."  
"Number one: Someone _did_ supply the signal to activate the angels."  
"… You work directly for SEELE, don't you?"  
"Guilty as charged. I sent the signal after Project Telefrag and awakened the Angels."  
"You son of a bitch."  
"Number two: Vent climbing is a Lilithian trait."  
"So the last angel…?"  
"Has been in the base the whole time."  
"What's the last one?"  
"And number three: Do you know how easily an Angel's core can merge with Lilim anatomy? Especially when the core itself it Lilithian?"  
"You're not…"  
He rose into the air, the air around him shimmering.

**I am.  
Through license of she who is called "I Think," I have come.  
Made by combining the fake with the real, I have come.  
I am that which draws you into the darkness.  
I am that which takes away your control.  
I caused the first great fall, and exiled humanity from paradise.  
My goal is simple. I will return home.  
You will **_**not**_** stop me.  
I am temptation.  
I am The Snake.  
You will fail.**

"_You're_ the last angel?"  
"More appropriately, the last core resides within me. I am merely a vessel."  
"Well then. That means that your body is still human?"  
"Correct."  
Dr. Mondschein ripped off his left sleeve, revealing the patch of AR Energy.  
"Let's see how AR energy reacts to AT Fields, shall we?"  
His hand glowed a bright blue, and he motioned as if he were throwing it. The blast impacted with the AT Field.  
"Doctor, it appears that AT energy doesn't _like_ AR Energy. You might be on to something."  
"There's a lot more where that came from!"  
"But I'm not willing to sit here while you wittle away at the light of my soul."  
The consoles and chairs in the command center all rose up, and floated beside Barret.  
"Time to die, Doctor."  
All of the objects were flung with incredible force towards Dr. Mondschein. He merely stood there.  
"I don't think so!"  
A blue field appeared in front of Dr. Mondschein, and the objects bounced harmlessly off of it.  
"You can generate your own ARKS. Impressive."  
Dr. Mondschein threw barrage after barrage of AR Energy at the AT Field, while Barret continued to throw pieces of the command center at him.  
"One of us is going to fall, doctor. And it's _not_ going to be me."  
"What makes you say that, you lovecraftian piece of shit?"  
"Another trait of Lilithian cores."  
He vanished. Dr. Mondschein looked frantically about the command center.  
"We always turn up where you least expect it."  
He turned around, and found Lieutenant Barret standing far too close for comfort. He threw his fist at Barret, but it just impacted the AT Field.  
"Good night, Doctor."  
Then Barret's fist flew at Dr. Mondschein.

* * *

"**That's odd…**"  
"What?"  
"**The comm is down.**"  
"Why's that?"  
"**Base sensors are still online. Hold on, let me check.**"  
Unit-04 froze in place temporarily, something that happened whenever he went into NERV AI mode. When Unit-04 started moving again, it bolted back towards the catapults.  
"Quatre, what is it?"  
"**Pattern Blue! INSIDE of NERV!**"  
The catapults refused to move.  
"**Come on you piece of SHIT! MOVE!**"  
"Quatre! What about the hole the last Angel dug?"  
"**We've already filled it and repaired the ceiling in the hallway.**"  
"Well, what do you have for a right arm?"  
"**A drill, why?**"  
Unit-14 just stared at Unit-04.  
"**… Right! A Drill!**"  
He stepped away from the Catapult and lifted his right arm high above his head.  
"**Next stop: NERV!**"  
And he plunged it into the ground.

* * *

The Angel floated through the halls towards The Garden. Odd that no ventilation system lead directly to his destination. Oh well. He'll just to travel the old fashioned way. He came upon the frozen door leading to The Garden.  
"Home, sweet ho-"  
And the intricate defence system set up around it.  
"That's not good."  
"OPEN FIRE!"  
Two Eva sized miniguns, the rifle from Project Telefrag, the old MSBU Drill, and some weird sticks among other things pointed directly towards Barret. Projectile after projectile impacted with the AT Field, slowly weakening it. Then a couple of energy blasts managed to pass through the AT Field and hit him square in the chest.  
"What the HELL was that?"  
"THAT was Magic Missile, you prick!" Allan Fisher yelled out, "I KNEW Magic was a good idea! It passes through AT Fields!"  
The sticks, now revealed to be wands of Magic Missile, opened fire on Barret. Impact after impact tore away at his NERV-Uniform.  
"Not good… Not good… So close…"  
He curled up into a ball, projectiles still weakening the AT Field.  
"ENOUGH!"  
He threw his arms and legs out wide, and a massive wave passed through the hallway. Every weapon was torn to pieces, and Fisher was thrown against the door.  
"I feared for my life there, Fisher. Nice try."  
Then the ceiling cracked.  
"ADAM Damnit."  
And the two Evangelion units burst through.  
"**OH YEAH!**"  
"_Time to kick some… Barret?_"  
"**Pattern Blue is coming from him! Kick his ass!**"  
The silver Evangelion raised the drill again, and brought it down upon The Angel's AT Field.  
"It's going to take more then that to-"  
"**Activating AT Field, bitch!**"  
The drills AT Field activated and bore through Barret's own AT Field.  
"Oh no." He said sarcastically, "Whatever shall I do?"  
"**You can die, for one!**"  
The drill opened up and grabbed hold of Barret.  
"_Any last words?_"  
"I'll save those for when I die."  
"**I'll take that as a no!**"  
He detonated the Anti-Matter tip. But the explosion never came.  
"Oh right, I forgot to tell you! I deactivated the detonator when I set up your drill! Sorry about that!"  
"**I can still crush you!**"  
"No. You can't."  
He vanished and reappeared next to Quatre's right shoulder.  
"You have your… 'Brother'… to thank for this trick."  
He deactivated his AT Field and reactivated it. The sudden generation of the shield cut off his right arm.  
"**GAH! FUCK! ALWAYS THE RIGHT ARM!**"  
The green Evangelion grabbed Barret from mid air, and slammed him against the wall.  
"_Why won't you stay still?_"  
"If I did, I'd die. And I don't want that. Not yet."  
He activated his AT Field again, cutting off Unit-14's right left hand. Then Barret's left arm started to glow.  
"I also learned this trick from my brothers."  
He raised his left hand and pointed it at Unit-14.  
"_This is gonna hurt…_"  
A familiar Impact Laser shot out and broke four of Unit-14's AT Fields and sent it flying into the wall.  
"Now, if you'll excuse me, I have an appointment in The Garden."  
He fired his Impact Laser again, and broke through the doors. The doors went tumbling through, destroying countless artificial Angels. He came up to the back wall. The wall slid open revealing the black giant residing within.  
"Now to break you out."  
And he started to chip away at the ice.

* * *

Dr. Mondschein woke up in the destroyed command center. He looked around, looking for Barret.  
"Where the hell did you go?"  
But of course, he was no where in sight. He walked over the debris, looking for Barret's old terminal. Someway, some how, it remained intact.  
"… Don't look a gift horse in the mouth, Dream."  
He turned on communications and scanned the surveillance. Barret was already inside The Garden. Unit-14 and Unit-04 were wrecked in the hallway outside.  
"Wait, where's Fisher?"  
Then he noticed something. Fisher's twisted body among the wrecked weapons.  
"Damnit! DAMNIT! We couldn't stop it… We failed!"  
He opened a channel to Quatre and Adam.  
"Quatre, Adam, one of you, respond."  
"_… Dad?_"  
"**Right here.**"  
"_We failed. We couldn't stop it. We tried, but it wasn't good enough…_"  
"Alright, there's nothing more we can do. The point is, you tried. Now, you two come back to the command center. There's one last thing we can do."

* * *

He reached it. His goal. He was returning home. The Black Giant called EVE thrashed about. Barret floated towards it, and they became a singular being.  
"**Anti-AT Field detected. It happened, Dad.**"  
"Activate the ARKS."  
"**Don't need to. The Anti-AT Field is only spreading two kilometers in every direction from contact.**"  
"So, he wasn't a proper Angel either?"  
"**No. Instrumentality is happening, but it's become localized.**"  
"… Alright. Well, I guess we can try to stop it."  
"**Operative word here being 'Try.'**"  
"I guess."  
"**Here we go, Dad.**" (.com/watch?v=w2cFEHM9yMw)  
"… Appropriate."  
Endless copies of EVE poured out of The Garden. They hunted down every last person in NERV-Alaska and absorbed them. Quatre stood on the surface, and looked at the now red sky. Dr. Mondschein stood on his shoulder, lab coat blowing in the ominous wind.  
"Here they come."  
Copies of EVE appeared on all sides of them.  
"**… I'll take the endless amounts on the left. You take care of the endless amounts on the right.**"  
"You got it."  
He jumped off of Quatre's shoulder, and stood on a patch of blue AR Energy. He walked forward, throwing AR Energy at everything he saw. Quatre ran forward and tackled one EVE. But there's only so much you can do with one arm.  
It wasn't long before they were completely overrun. Eventually, Quatre was swarmed by EVEs and was ripped apart. Dr. Mondschein's AR Field eventually faded away.

But as the EVEs came upon him, he only smiled.

* * *

"There's one last thing we can do."  
"_What brilliant plan do you have, Dad?_"  
"We're getting you out of here. Both of you come to the command center."  
"**Got it. Come on Adam.**"  
He waited for the two Evangelions to show up. He turned off the music that had been playing since the start of this attack. One last act of defiance.  
"_Alright, we're here._"  
"Good. Quatre?"  
"**You want to see The Project.**"  
"Yes."  
Unit-04 knelt down in front of the command center, and the entry plug popped out of the back of his neck.  
"**Just like the first time, eh?**"  
"Yup."  
He hopped into the Entry Plug. Quatre stood up again and the entry plug slid back in.  
"_The Project? What's that?_"  
"**Just follow me, Bro. You'll see it soon enough.**"

* * *

They stood in a remote part of the facility. It was a round room, with just a liquid filled tank in the center. Inside the tank was a naked girl with wires in the back of her head leading towards a nearby computer terminal.  
"What am I looking at, dad? Seriously."  
"You know that memories are just electrical signals, right?"  
"Yeah."  
"What makes up the human personality is nothing but a series of signals from the brain."  
"What exactly are you getting at?"  
Dr. Mondschein walked over to the terminal. He smiled, a notification in the center of the screen saying "Upload 100%"  
"Well… AIs are the exact same. Just electrical signals."  
"AIs…?"  
Dr. Mondschein typed something into the terminal, and the wires disconnected from the back of her head, and the liquid slowly drained from the tube. The glass slid up into the ceiling, and the girl was left lying there.  
"You don't mean… You can't mean…"  
Her eyes opened up, and she looked around. Green eyes.  
"Unit-14 felt hollow because I put a copy in their while I worked on this."  
"You didn't…"  
She spotted him. Her eyes lit up, and she lunged at him.  
"ADAM!"  
"Adam Mondschein, meet Allison Catorce."  
He wrapped his arms around her. She laughed, holding him in her arms for what felt like the first time.  
"I can actually feel it! You're actually here!"  
Dr. Mondschein took off his lab coat and handed it to Allison. She took it, without letting go of Adam.  
"The point of that was to put it on."  
"Not yet, Dr. Mondschein… Just a little bit longer…"  
"**I really hate to rush you, but we need to go as soon as possible.**"  
"He's right. We need to go. Allison, put on your coat, we have to go."  
He pulled another coat out of hammerspace and put it on.  
"Come on."

* * *

They stood on the surface. Allison and Adam in their entry plug, and Dr. Mondschein standing on Quatre's shoulder.  
"_Dad, why are we out here?_"  
"AI, eject the entry plug."  
The entry plug of Unit-14 ejected.  
"Quatre."  
"**You got it, Dad.**"  
"_Dad, what are you doing?_"  
Unit-04 grabbed the entry plug and pulled it out.  
"The nearest city is… That way."  
Unit-04 turned to face the direction he was pointing.  
"_Dr. Mondschein, we're not leaving you!_"  
"You two don't have a choice in the matter. We can't stop this. We tried, and we failed. At the very least, you two are getting out of here."  
"_But dad-_"  
"No buts!"  
Quatre lifted the entry plug and prepared to throw it.  
"_Dad! Don't do this! We'll fight with you!_"  
"I don't want you two to fight. You two finally got each other. Don't throw your lives away."  
The comm. fell silent.  
"You got that?"  
"_… alright._"  
"I love you both with all my heart."  
"**You two be good to each other, and if I find out that Adam did something to harm you, Allison, I swear I will come back and I will hunt him down.**"  
"Good bye, you two."  
And Quatre threw the entry plug with every last ounce of strength he could muster.  
"… Good luck."

* * *

Somehow, they had managed to find their way back to the apartment. The entry plug managed to land a kilometre or two outside of town, and they managed to walk back. Neither of them felt the need to say anything. Nothing could be said. When they entered the apartment, they noticed a box was lying on the dinner table. Inside of it was a recorder, and a lot of cash.  
"… What does it say?" She asked.  
"I don't know." He pressed the play button. Dr. Mondschein's voice came out of it.  
_Hello Adam. Hello Allison. If you're listening to this then… Well, you know. I did what I had to do. I know you won't like it, but it was for the best. I wasn't about to let you die trying to stop something that couldn't be stopped. Originally, I was going to show you Allison, as a 'congratulations' if we won. But because the box is still here and you are listening, I showed her to you as a chance for you to find happiness after I'm gone. Now, if you look inside the box, you'll notice that there is a _lot_ of money inside. Being the head of a secret organization helps on the financial front. That's enough money to let you live almost anywhere in the globe. Or, if you want, you can fly to Tokyo-3 and live there. Eva pilots are provided for there, after all, and you seem to have taken a liking to piloting. But… No matter what, I'm proud of you, Adam. Every decision you make will be the right one. It may not seem it at the time, but it will be. Because it will be _your_ decision. Unless you decide to start moping about me being gone. If you do, I will haunt you. I've given you the materials, now live your life._  
He shut off the recorder.  
"Move on…"  
"So… what now?"  
"For now?" He grabbed her by the hand, "We have a sunset to watch."

* * *

They stood on the roof, watching as the sun sank below the horizon. A red dome marked the place where NERV-Alaska used to be.  
"… Dad would have wanted a headstone as grand as that."  
Hand in hand, they watched as the sun sank below the red dome.  
"At least…" He turned towards Allison, smiling, "At least I still have you."  
"Theres… one thing I want to try, now that I have a human body." She said, turning towards him.  
"What's that?"  
She put her hands on the sides of his face and kissed him. A warm, gentle kiss. But to her, it meant everything. She broke off, smiling.  
"I finally got to kiss you!"  
She hopped a little, in victory.  
"You're a weird one. But that's why I love you so much."  
He wrapped his arms around her.  
"I love you, Adam."  
"I love you, too."  
And they kissed each other in the sunset.

They may have lost much. They will always miss what was lost. But in the end, they gained the one thing they've always wanted. And now, all they can do is move on with their lives, and enjoy every single moment they have.

**NERV-Alaska Status: Destroyed as a result of localized instrumentality.  
Dr. D. Mondschein: KIA  
Fisher, Allan: KIA  
Barret, Thomas: KIA  
Mondschein, Adam: MIA  
Evangelion Unit-04: Destroyed  
Evangelion Unit-14: Destroyed. On board intelligence is MIA.**


	9. How does this work?

**NERV-Alaska Part Afterwards**

_**How does this work?**_

"This brings up a… bit of a problem." She said, as they were walking back towards their apartment.

"What?" Adam questioned.

The black haired girl looked down, slightly embarrassed.

"I… uh… don't quite know how this body works."

"You…" He looked at her in disbelief. He was about to say something, but then it dawned on him, "Well, I guess that makes sense. You were either in a robotic body or an Eva for your entire life."

"Right."

"Well," He said, as he opened the door to the apartment and let her in before him, "Let's start with the basics."

"Well, I read up on the human body before I got my own," She walked into the living room and sat down on the couch, "I know that hormones can severely affect emotions, so I'm keeping tabs on how exactly I'm feeling. I know what a woman my age goes through. But other than that, I don't know."

"… Okay," he said, taking a seat next to her, "so we need to get you acquainted with some of the less desirable traits of a human being."

"Like what?"

"Like… Well, hunger… pain… needing to use the washroom… among other things."

"Oh yeah." She said, sighing, "This should be fun."

"… I'm lucky that you catch on quick, or else this would drive me insane."

"And that you love me." She said, wrapping her arms around him.

"Yes, and on top of that, I love you too much to leave you alone."

"Okay, I think I'm feeling something weird now."

"How do you feel?"

"Well, I feel kinda weak, and my stomach feels sorta… light."

"Then you're probably hungry. I… guess I'll make you something to eat. But first, let's get you into some actual clothes."

* * *

They didn't really have a wide selection to pick from, so Allison was wearing a red hoodie and some jeans that belonged to Adam. They were a tad too big for her, though, but they made do with what they had for the moment.

Adam was in the kitchen, making some soup for the both of them. He claimed that he wasn't the best cook, but he could at least make something as simple as soup. The smell wafted into the dining room, where Allison was sitting at the circular table, eagerly awaiting what would be her first meal. And on top of that, it was something that Adam was making her. He walked into the dining room, a bowl in each oven-mitted hand. He laid one down in front of Allison, and sat down in the spot next to her.

"Well, at the very least, it smells good." She said.

"It's soup. It always smells good."

He handed her a spoon, and started eating. She dipped her spoon into the bowl and brought it up to her lips. Adam saw what she was doing, and immediately tried to stop her.

"Wait, you gotta-"

"GAH!"

"Blow on it first…"

Too late, however. She had the spoon in her mouth, and the heat burned her tongue and throat as the soup went down.

"That's…" She said, slamming her fist onto the table, "That's pain. Yup. Well acquainted with that! I could feel pain when I was an Eva."

"I'm sorry, I should have told you to blow on it."

"Now my tongue's all numb."

"It does that. Apparently your nerves get damaged when you feel pain, and the area feels numb afterwards."

"So…" she said, looking down at her soup, "I won't really be able to taste it?"

"Kinda. Sorry."

"… Damnit."

She took another spoonful and blew on it before actually eating it. She smiled, slightly.

"Well, at least I _can_ taste it."

"Is it good?"

"It's amazing."

* * *

"Why are you closing your eyes?"

They were getting ready to get to bed. Allison seemed to understand what it meant to be tired, and understood that most people change before going to bed. And that… was where the problem was.

"Well, why aren't you wearing anything?"

She was standing beside the bed, wearing absolutely nothing. As soon as he saw, Adam had covered his eyes, wanting to respect her privacy. Something she obviously was not trying to do herself.

"Well, it's like that one movie. Oh, what was it called…" She put one hand on her chin and one on her beautiful hips and _Adam your eyes should be closed now_. She shrugged, "Can't remember. Anyway, there was a song in it. It said that if you got it… Flaunt it." She climbed into bed beside him and wrapped her arms around him.

'_Hey, I don't really mind this,_' He thought to himself, '_Wait! NO! Damn you, hormones!_'

"Allison," He said, "Could you at least wear something?"

"… But… don't guys usually like seeing women naked?"

"Yes! NO! Both. Neither! I'M NOT MAKING SENSE!" He stopped for a second to compose himself. "Okay. Usually, people only go to bed naked when they're willing to get… intimate."

"Intimate? OH! Sex!"

"Blunt… but yes."

"And… you don't want to."

"… I… can't say I don't want to… but I can't. Not… not now. Not after what happened today."

"… I understand. I'll go get something."

She got up from the bed and walked over to a piece of clothing lying on Adam's dresser. She unfolded it and put it on. She did up the buttons on it and turned back towards Adam.

"You can look now."

He uncovered his eyes and looked over at her.

"… Dad's lab coat."

They had cleaned it when they got home, after they got Allison some actual clothes, and Adam had folded it up and put it on his dresser, as a reminder. They decided not to fix up the left arm of the coat, so her arm was bare.

"Should I not wear it?"

"No, that's fine… but we do need to get you some clothes."

She nodded and climbed back into bed.

* * *

She woke up in the middle of the night, her stomach feeling really weird. She turned over and shook Adam.

"Adam, wake up!"

He stirred slightly.

"Adam!"

"… what?" He said, groggily.

"I feel weird."

"what do you mean, 'weird?'"

"My stomach and everything below it feels… weird. Like it's full or something."

"… great, you need to use the washroom."

"Really?"

"can't say i was looking forward to this. come on."

He got up and motioned for her to follow him. He stumbled through the hallway leading to the washroom. He reached his destination and motioned for her to go in. She turned on the light, and Adam closed the door behind her.

"Why did you close the door?"

"What happens in the bathroom is usually private." He said through the door.

"Unless two people are comfortable around each other."

"Yeah, but I find using the washroom to be too disgusting. I'm not going in there."

She sighed, "Fine. What do I do?"

"Well, there's something in there that looks like a seat."

She looked around for what he described. Then she spotted it.

"Okay, now what?"

"The lid should be down. Pull it up."

She pulled open the lid.

"Now, normally, I'd say pull down your pants, but… you're not wearing any. Simplest course of action, considering what you're wearing, take it off."

"You ask me to put clothes on, now you're telling me to take it off?"

"Well, a lab coat is hard to manoeuvre. Once you do that, just sit down on the toilet and… let nature take its course."

He sat outside the door and waited for her to finish up.

"When you're done, use the toilet paper to… ugh, 'Clean Up.'"

"Clean up?"

"… Ugh… Clear away any waste left behind…"

He waited some more.

"Okay…" she said, "now what?"

"There's a lever on the toilet. Turn it."

He heard the toilet flush.

"Now you wash your hands, and exit the bathroom a brand new person.

He heard the faucet run for a bit, and then shut off. As the door opened, he realized he forgot one crucial step.

He forgot to tell her to put her coat back on.

Of course, he found out later on, she already knew that she had to put the coat back on. She just chose not to.

* * *

He spent the next day almost entirely alone, sitting in his father's old bedroom. His father was the most important figure in his life, and it was hard to let him go, despite the fact that his father specified 'no moping.'

Adam found that instruction to be… hard to follow.

He opened the door to his fathers closet, absent mindedly searching for something. Of course, when he opened the door, he saw that the entire closet was filled with lab coats. Nothing but lab coats. He chuckled lightly to himself.

"Why am I not surprised, dad?"

He gave the closet a glancing over, and noticed an old notebook filled with notes in the corner. He picked it up and looked it over.

"Project ALTER… Submitted by Mondschein, Dream…"

He carried it over to the bed and, taking a seat on the bed, started reading it. Of course, he didn't get any of the more complex equations, but… this was something that his father had left behind. From what he could understand, Adam didn't get why his father would leave something like this lying about, even in a closet. He read through, reading every note, every equation, every word written in his father's handwriting. Then he reached the end, and noticed something odd. An extra note, made recently, with his name on it.

"Adam," he said, reading aloud, "This is how I do it… huh?"

He read the page.

_Subject: Mondschein, Dream_

_Subject was exposed to AR Energy when the AR Cannon went haywire. Subject shut down the cannon by removing the focusing crystal. Medical examinations afterwards indicate that his body had, in fact, absorbed the AR Energy, and began clumping in the location of his left elbow. This appears to have no effect on the motor functions of his left hand. AR Clump has been described as looking alternately like a "blue cloud" or "a chunk of the night sky."_

_Upon further testing, subject has shown some capabilities with the AR Clump. Subject is able to put objects in a "hammerspace" and pull them out at any time. It is unknown if there are any size restrictions, as testing could prove hazardous to subject's health._

_Project ALTER Status: Put on indefinite hiatus._

"So _that's_ how you did it!" He laughed, "You literally pulled things out of nowhere!"

Then he heard a knocking on the door.

"… Can I come in?"

"Yeah, sure."

Allison walked into the room, and took a seat next to Adam.

"How are you holding up?"

"… Well, I found one of his old journals."

"From one of the old projects?"

"Yeah, Project ALTER."

"… must have been before I was assembled there. I don't remember ALTER."

"It's dated shortly after I was born."

"And I was only built-"

"Born."

"… Born… four years ago."

He held the notebook in his hands, staring at it.

"It's… it's hard to believe he's gone."

"Adam…"

She wrapped an arm over his shoulder, and put her hand on his.

"Are you really doing okay?"

"… No. No, I'm not doing okay. He's always been there for me. He always had some crazy idea to make things better, or some crazy story to tell me if I was feeling down. But he's gone now!"

His hands clenched and tears formed in his eyes.

"Damn it… Damn it! We could have helped him! Why did he force us to leave? Why did he and Quatre insist on staying? They could have escaped with us!"

"… No, they couldn't."

"Why not?"

"From what he told me, it happened because someone was targeting _him._ If he had escaped, it would have put you in danger. Whoever was after him would have continued pursuing him until he died. And you know him; He'd give up his own life for you. And he did. Same with Quatre."

"… Doesn't make it any less painful."

"No. But… he wouldn't have wanted to see you like this."

He looked at her, tears refusing to be shed.

"… I need to stop thinking about this. This is going to get me nowhere."

"Well, what do you suggest?"

"I say we go and get you some clothes."

"… Really? You're grieving and the best distraction you can come up with is _clothes shopping?_"

"It's better than nothing. Let's go."

* * *

They walked through the streets, going through everything they did when she got her first robotic body. The day started with them going and getting clothes for Allison to wear (She gave Adam the occasional nosebleed when she tried on something a _little_ too small for her. He could swear she was doing it on purpose), but they decided to try out everything again now that she could actually experience them.

Adam was carrying all of the clothes that she had bought, despite Allison's protests. He insisted, trying ever so hard to be a gentleman. Then they made their way past that familiar Ice Cream shop. The looked at each other.

"Ice cream?" He asked.

"Ice cream."

The walked in through the door, Allison giggling softly to herself. Adam ordered two cones of vanilla ice cream, and paid the clerk.

"Why Vanilla?"

"Well, technically it's your first time. Vanilla is the most plain flavour, so it's best that we start from there."

"I guess that makes sense. But…" She said, looking at all the selections, "That Cookie Dough Ice Cream looks really good."

"I'll get some for you next time."

"Promise?"

"I promise."

They received their cones and sat down at one of the tables. Allison almost started eating her cone when Adam stopped her.

"I'm not making the same mistake again. Don't eat Ice Cream too fast. It's made from Milk, and you know how drinking milk too fast feels."

She gagged slightly.

"Don't remind me."

With that, they ate their Ice Cream. Allison made a point of eating it as slow as she could.

She loved every second of it.

* * *

She woke up in the middle of the night, shivering. Despite the fact that they were underneath some pretty heavy blankets, she was absolutely frozen. As if she had been outside in the middle of a snowstorm. Adam was awake as well, shivering just like she was.

"D-did we h-have the same d-dream?" He said.

"Snowb-ball fight with e-e-everyone from NERV?"

"Yeah."

"… W-weird."

She huddled up closer to him, and he held her tight. As weird as it was that they had the same dream, they put it out of mind. Right now, they had each other.

* * *

It had been a week since the destruction of NERV-Alaska. Allison had since gotten more or less used to her human body. There was the occasional slip up, but she powered on through and got used to the body she was given, thankful for every sensation. Including the time when she ate something that didn't quite agree with her stomach, though she didn't exactly like it. They didn't have that dream again, which was a bonus.

"Hey, Adam?" She said when they were getting ready for bed. She had eyed the lab coat, and decided to wear that.

"What?" He climbed into the bed.

"… Thank you."

"For what?"

"For always being there." She climbed in next to him, "You've been there from day one, and even when you found out what I was… you stuck with me. You helped me all throughout this week as I got used to my human body. So, thank you."

He looked at her and smiled.

"I'll always be there for you." He said, and kissed her.

"Would you be here if I were still an Eva?"

"Of course. Good night, Allison."

He shifted slightly and closed his eyes. She didn't move, but just stared at him.

"There's one other thing."

"What is it?" he said, opening his eyes.

"I…"

Her face reddened.

"Well… what I mean is… There's one other thing I want to feel."

"What is it?"

She tried to articulate what was going through her head, but for one reason or another couldn't spit it out. When she failed at saying it, she merely lunged at him and kissed him. A lot deeper than usual, her tongue forcing its way into his mouth. He wrapped his arms around her and did the same. He ran his hands through her hair, and she slowly made her way on top of him. They broke off, both breathing heavily. Her face still red and his face turning red as well.

"What I mean to say…" She said, panting, "I… I want to feel _you_."

"You mean…"

"Y-yeah."

"But… We're sixteen!"

"Well, technically, I'm four."

"Not really helping, Allison."

"But aren't you the person that didn't let the fact that his girlfriend was an Evangelion affect his feelings?"

"… Yeah."

"If we can overcome something like that, age doesn't really matter, does it?"

"…I guess it doesn't."

"But… If you don't want to…" She moved to get off of him. His hand came out and grabbed her arm. Not forcibly, but enough to make her stop.

"I'm… not saying that." He said, embarrassed.

"Then that means…?"

"I lost one of the most important things in my life a week ago. If it wasn't for you, I probably would have broken down and died. You thanked me because I helped you with your human body."

He sat up, and he hugged her.

"So I'm thankful for you being there and helping me get through this. You're all I have left, Allison, and I would have waited forty years just to see you for a day. But here you are in my arms…"

He held her tightly.

"I love you, Allison, with all of my being. If you want to do this, I'll be with you every step of the way, as I always have been. All I ask is that you're _positive _you want to do this."

She shifted around in his arms and kissed him again, just a peck on the lips. She looked him straight in the eyes.

"Adam, when you hold me in your arms, I feel... warm. That warmth means the world to me. I don't ever want to let that go."

She held him tighter, burying her face in his shoulder.

"To you, it was four years, but I waited my _entire life_ just to hear your voice. I got the fake body just for the thought of holding you. Now I have a human body… And I want to show you just how much I love you. Of course I'm sure: There's nothing I want more than you."

**Good Night, Sleep Tight, Young Lovers.**


	10. Character Descriptions

NOTE: I recently added another chapter. This was originally Chapter 9, but after adding the last part, I switched them so that it would be in the correct order. Long story short, go back a chapter and read the newest part of NERV-Alaska, if you are so inclined.

It occurs to me I didn't actually give character descriptions in the actual story. Woops. I'll attribute that to my main forte, which is Script writing. Anyway, here you go.

Dr. Mondschein

Long-ish white hair. Blue eyes, wears glasses. Thin features, looks to be in his early 30s but is in fact 45 (Thought to be an effect of Project ALTER.) Physically fit. Always wears a lab coat.

Adam Mondschein

Shoulder length blond hair, blue-grey eyes. Thin features, like his father. He's also a bit taller then usual for his age. Wears a dark blue zip-up hoodie almost all the time.

Allan Fisher

Short black hair, brown eyes. Rough features, clearly been in a couple scraps in his time. Always has a five o'clock shadow. Typically wears a jacket and jeans, unless he's working.

Thomas Barret

Short black hair, bluish-green eyes. Very smooth features that indicate he's a very calm person. Nothing too different about him, he'd blend in very well with a crowd. Wears a typical NERV Uniform at work, and wears a black t-shirt and jeans when off duty.

Allison Catorce

Long black hair, green eyes. She's a smaller girl. Not unhealthy, just smaller then normal. Typically, she wears a dark red zip-up hoodie, to match Adam's dark blue one.


End file.
